Interview: Grim Misfit and the Grim Side of Architecture

Not long ago there was a really great Second Life culture and lifestyle magazine called PWND. The publication was the brainchild of Haver Cole and Saeya Nyanda – both of whom have gone on to nuture very busy careers in other aspects of SL which signaled the extended hiatus of PWND. The great thing about the magazine was that each issue focused on a single topic/theme that contributors tackled from a variety of angles. The first issue examined alts in SL. The second was the then-semi-fresh Neko phenomenon. Issue number three never made it to news stands, however, the topic was slated as in-world architecture.

Looking back through my Google Docs, where I store some of my written content, I was reminded of the article I wrote for the unreleased issue. It’s been almost a year. I think I owe it to my interviewee, Grim Misfit, and the photographer I dragged around with me, Sofia Gray, to publish this somewhere.

The Grim Side of Architecture
April 2007

As the closing page of issue number two announced to the readership that next installment would be all up in architecture’s grill I must admit that I was lost. Not because I had never seen Haver’s naked ass before (most of her friends and acquaintances are overly familiar with this side of her), but because my head doesn’t wrap well around the dynamics of sculpting a large three-dimensional space. And, as such, you won’t find any deep philosophical content about design semantics here.

At the suggestion of a brilliant friend I decided to take a look inside the home of Grim Misfit of Urban Ruins prefabs and Grim Babies fame. Like something ripped from the pages of an Edward Gorey tale, Grim has been exploiting the fictional plights of orphaned and deformed prim babies. The spawn of his comically macabre imagination are unique and abusable limited edition collectible toys that come with their own tragic hard luck stories. In addition to his cavalcade of artfully misshapen wee’uns Grim is an accomplished builder and content creator. In collaboration with BoBo Boxer his portfolio ranges from from furniture to entire sims. The interview became more of a look inside Grim’s head space. His home in Sleepy Hollow is an imposing industrial complex. Its glowering framework was as metal-eroded on the inside as it was on the outside. Upon meeting our world’s very own dark Dr. Seuss the first thing I noticed about him was his feet. He had on a pair of truck-shaped plushie slippers that instantly caught my eye. While we stood and talked I stared at his shoes.

Feature: GLAM World Magazine Grand Opening

This past Saturday marked the grand opening of GLAM Magazine with a fashion show featuring some of Second Life’s notable fashion designers. Over 15 models took to the catwalk, serving as virtual coat hangers for designs from GHOST, artilleri, LeeZu Baxter Designs, Cubic Effect, Muism, Serene Sensation, Lookr, Designs by Nicky Ree, Paper Couture, Maitreya and “Cachet” by Minnu Model Skins. The event was DJ’d by duckyfresh Watanabe who remarked post-show, “It was really pretty. The Nicky Ree section was especially beautifully choreographed”.

The launch video can be seen on the Glam World Blog.

GLAM Mag – the vision of Minnu Palen and Thora Charron (Minnu Model Skins), Onyx Leshelle and Beauvoir Rousselot (Maitreya) and Miabella Foxley (Imagen Design Agency) – hopes to combine cutting edge fashion-photography and premier content with the ambition of setting new publication standards in SL. All parties have made their mark in the world of virtual fashion and photography.

The first issue, which highlights the work of the publishers themselves as well as that of Icemocolo Voom (MUISM), Saeya Nyanda (KΨoot Army), Triangle Caudron (GHOST), product trends and recent designer-driven charity work can be downloaded in PDF format or viewed as a Flash presentation on the GLAM Mag mini-site.

Following the delirium of late and lengthy practices, outfit coordination and fittings, showtime buzz and killer lag with the pressure off I got together with fellow show model and winner of this Month’s MMS poster contest, Steve Hansen, and took a few photos of the Muism and Lookr sets we walked in. These two labels in addition to artilleri provided the content for male fashion within the show.

LOOKR (L to R: Catero, Steve)	MUISM (L to R: Steve, Catero)

 

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Related blog coverage: Anessa Stine’s Flickr slideshow • Deux Looks [Feb. 9] + Deux Looks [Feb. 10] • Diary of a Second Life Socialite • Does This Make My Ass Look Fat? • GHOST blog • GLAM World blog • Second Guru • The Rummage Box

Feature: Homme Magazine, Issue No. 2

For those who enjoyed the first issue, the second installment of Homme Magazine is now on news stands at Depo 5 (220, 43, 22) and available for download at thehommemag.com.

Feature Article: Interview with Khai Sinister
“I’m a really private person. I think from birth all I’ve wanted to do is create art and sort of hide in my own world. Eventually I found SL. It was the greatest way to combine all my ideas and fantasies and sort of bring them to life in a way in which I was never able to before … and, to an extent, interact with my creations.”

Broaden your Horizons by Eyva Matova
“It’s time to open your eyes. Go and take a look around the virtual world you live in. This is a place defined by it’s residents and what people have chosen to do with a blank canvas is amazing to look at and inspiring to experience.”

Fashion Police by TheDiva Rockin
“Whoa…hey there big guy!! Congratulations on your recent upgrade! Now do us ladies a favor and tuck it in!! This is no pond and you certainly aren’t going to catch a decent honey with that rod … gutter hoes, STDs, and a swift kick to the crotch are ore like it.”

Quintessential Essentials: Lucas Lameth by Sylar Boyd
“I sat down on my desk thanking Jesus/Buddah/Yahweh/Allah for giving me such a sweet and gracious mother. (May the Gods bless her soul when she passes away.) So first things first, I had to come up with a subject. This is after all a men’s magazine so I was thinking someone along the lines of Steve McQueen or George Clooney.”

The Adventures of Catero Revolution by Catero Revolution
“She’d just landed on top of my head as I stood in the middle of nowhere. Just some random girl dressed like a young Eva Gabor who fell from the sky. What are the odds?”

If you are a designer or business owner that would like to place a magazine stand (C/T/NM) in or around your store please comment here or send Arj Friedkin or Davey Hullabaloo a note card/IM in-world. You can also send these two a little poke for advertising info.

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Photo credit: Puma Jie