Nemo Rises: Awe-Inspiring Underwater Steampunk City Inspired By Jules Verne Opens Today!
Today there is a place underneath Second Life seas that is not quite like anything you've seen: Click this SLurl link to visit Nemo, which as the name suggests, is a steampunk city inspired by that most original of steampunk novelists, Jules Verne himself. It's the work of Sextan Shepherd, who tells me he is a reporter in France's financial and economical press. In his off hours, however, he has been below the waves of Second Life, working over a course of nearly two months to make his vision of Nemo come alive. It is one of the most magnificent installations ever made in SL, full of rich details.
Take this clock in Nemo's exhibition room, for example, pictured after the break:
It's not just a textured surface. Peering closer, you'll notice the gears inside the clock move, and in elegant fashion. The city of full of elegantly intricate details like that.
"I am fascinated by this period in time," Sextan tells me, "end of 19th century and the begining of the 20th century, steam engines, the first electric engines, Art Nouveau, the mix of metal and stained glass and, of course the literature (Jules Verne)." His inspirations for Nemo are not just Verne, but Verne's contemporaries, like Nikola Tesla, William Crookes, Thomas Edison, Gustave Eiffel, and Guimard. "They all lived at the same period, so I have simply made a 'mix', a kind of 'best of' of all this and Nemo was built."
There's still work to do in Nemo. As you'll notice when you visit (and you must), it's still without ambient sound, which Monsier Shepherd, who's also a musician, is creating now. "[T]here will be water sounds, bubble sounds, whale songs, the typical sound of droplet on metal and maybe a sonar bip sound."
So Nemo is still evolving, but you certainly want to visit as it does. Once again, here's the map link.
Much thanks to Thorn Witrial for the tip!
Update, 3/31: Mssr. Shepherd moved Nemo, so I've changed the teleport link accordingly. Thanks to Dylan Rickenbacker for confirming it!
Woot! More underwater stuff! I'd like to see more people tackling builds beneath the surface.
Posted by: Veeyawn Spoonhammer | Tuesday, March 23, 2010 at 02:41 PM
That is one gorgeous machinima :)
Posted by: ColeMarie Soleil | Tuesday, March 23, 2010 at 05:37 PM
I knew Sextan Shepherd as a master texturer, but "Nemo" includes sounds and a rich atmosphere, witch marks him as a true artist.
Posted by: DD Ra | Tuesday, March 23, 2010 at 05:39 PM
This is indeed a spectacular build! I had the pleasure of visiting last night, and I jokingly warned Sextan, "This is going to become one of the most photographed places in Second Life!" His textures and attention to detail have produced a strikingly beautiful environment.
Posted by: Ziki Questi | Wednesday, March 24, 2010 at 04:54 AM
I count myself very fortunate to have Sextan as a friend. His creativity makes life better.
Posted by: Thorn Witrial | Wednesday, March 24, 2010 at 05:10 AM
Hrm... pretty...
Time to write a Fake Travelogue.
-ls/cm
Posted by: Crap Mariner | Wednesday, March 24, 2010 at 07:04 AM
*nods* Sextan rocks! Looks like I got plans tonight after all, LOL. Svarga's back AND Sextan's got a kick-butt build to check out.
Posted by: Arcadian Vanalten | Thursday, March 25, 2010 at 09:15 AM
Hello my friends.
First I want to thank W.James for that Article. Your opinion realy count on secondlife and I owe you a big part of NEMO's succes.
And because of its succes, I had to move NEMO on another location so here is the slurl.
http://slurl.com/secondlife/FRANCE3D%20futuna/91/148/21
Posted by: Sextan Shepherd | Monday, March 29, 2010 at 01:13 AM
Truely lovely, looking forward to finding more of you creativity in Second Life.
wyrdsister Vella
Posted by: Wyrdsister | Monday, July 12, 2010 at 04:17 PM