Wednesday 20 February 2013

Red Riding Hood Rides Again!


Good girls don’t talk to wolves.
                            -      Old Wife’s Tale
The Red Riding Hood story has been re-worked many, many times since the Brothers Grimm collected the original French tale and popularised it throughout Europe in the early part of the 19th century.
The tale appears to hold symbolism and meaning which resonates with many people in many different countries across the centuries.
There are of course numerous ways to interpret the original tale, and its many variations and derivatives. The sexual interpretation is so obvious and blatant that it barely even need be mentioned here, except in passing.
I have also seen the Red Riding Hood tale re-worked in Second Life numerous times – as machinima, photoshoots and performances – the most memorable to date probably being Toxic Menge’s 2010 machinima where I happened to be at the first in-world showing.
The frank truth is that I will rarely get excited to read an all too frequent Group Notice announcing yet another “re-telling of the classic Little Red Riding Hood story”.  However, when the artists involved in the re-working are as accomplished as Alpha Auer, Cherry Manga and Soror Nishi it would just be churlish to give it anything but serious consideration.
With an appreciative hat tip to Quan Lavender I attended the opening of their collaborative whole-region installation on Sunday evening. As one would expect from artists of this calibre, the build quality is high, the atmosphere immersive and the colours glorious.
Click here to teleport to the installation, called ‘The Companion
For reasons which will become obvious, the region is ‘Adult’ rated. Please use Windlight sky setting “[TOR]SCIFI - Bridge opera 1” and ensure your ‘Sounds’ are turned on.

Due to its richness of colour and imaginary, I suspect that ‘The Companion’ will deservedly form the backdrop of many more ‘Red Riding Hood’ inspired machinima and photoshoots.
It is no reflection on ‘The Companion’ that, of this latter prospect, I find myself somewhat less excited.




Pixie xx

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