So excited to finally announce the opening of this very personal and special virtual world on Kitely – Virtual Worlds on Demand, Gino’s Butterfly.
It is, as the title suggests, an homage for a man we all came to know and love, Gino, who formed part of our family for the last 35 years. Besides having a really interesting life history, he was also an excellent high fashion designer in the 1960’s before he dropped out in 1970, and moved to a remote area of the Costa Rican Pacific shores.
When you arrive, just read the small notecard and have a seat in the Director’s Chair and…you will flutter and fly through Gino’s timeline, through individual artistic installations , pictures, and words and even a video at the end.
Take your time and enjoy it all; savor each part. I will include how to get there and if you haven’t visited Opensim yet, I would be happy to help you get in. Send me an IM in world or an email.
Of course this magical tour would be impossible without my talented scripting partner, Dale Innis:)
This is a true labor of love for someone who was loved by a whole town, for his special qualities, his eternal good nature and sense of humor, his generosity of spirit, noble heart, and talent. It is my first very personal world that I have created, and we hope that even though it is a personal gesture, the public will find something in it to love too:)
Here is a poem I posted soon after his passing in January. It gives a poetic taste to who Gino was for us all. Poem
So if you are in quarantine, this is a little virtual journey you can take for some 15 minutes ( if you take your time) and escape on a very special tour of art and life!
You can find Gino’s Butterfly here :
https://www.kitely.com/virtual-world/Karima-Hoisan/Ginos-Butterfly .
For those coming from Opensim, hypergrid address: grid.kitely.com:8002:Gino’s Butterfly
Come visit soon, and let us know if you had a good trip:)
Love and Stay Safe,
Karima:)
Digital Rabbit Hole 
I was there a very few times, but this week I will take the tour, to see Gino’s Butterfly from another point of view. Congrats to your special virtual world, Karima. I know it is a labour of love.
Big Hugss
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Thank you Nat.. Visit soon and Ihope you like how it turned out:) Hugss
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A pleasure and an honor to have helped bring this into being. A wonderful tribute to a unique person!
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Thank you Dale, I literally could never have done it without you:)
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Can’t wait to visit!
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Aww Buddeh, I’ll take you by the hand:)
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It’s there! I am very excited to go see it tonight 🙂
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Oh goody!! Let me know how you liked it:):) Big Hugss
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I was there the day before yesterday, and I meant to leave you a comment as soon as possible… I needed some time to think, though :))
It really is a marvelous world, very immersing, full of love and thankfulness. And though there can be no doubt the creator–you–miss Gino dearly, I can feel you are giving him his freedom to _be_ a butterfly and fly. Butterflies are magical creatures. They will elude you if you try to catch them, but they come and sit on your shoulder when you least expect it. Only for a moment, and then they fly freely again. From what I have heard about Gino from you and what I learned in yours and Dale’s account of his life I feel this image is very fitting. He was an astounding person, and I’m sure he will live on like that in your hearts. Big Hugsss!
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Joey, thank you so much for your comment and your appreciation of Gino’s Butterfly. Actually it was Gino, not me, who told me he was changing into one(if you remember the last notecard) I just told his real story all the way to the end. He knew what he was becoming before I or anyone else knew:) I loved your comment about them..how they will fly away if you chase them, but will come to you if you are still. Yes even in the heart of little Danna, Gino will live on as his newly born butter-fly self. If she would not have made that drawing and those words, I would not have been inspired to build this world..But,…I guess it was just meant to be.
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Your worlds are never a gamble, and yet I have the overwhelming feeling of having hit a Trifecta– (1) An intimate glimpse into Gino’s life where before I had assumed it to be well lived, yet simple (shame on me!), (2) An incredible execution by Dale in bending technology to exhibit profound honor and compassion in the most unique way I have ever experienced in ANY world, and last, but never least, (3) Definitively a labor of love by you, my dearest Sissy-Poo, that reveals your infinite love and respect for Gino as a man who lived his life with purposeful intent. This project was a revelation of entwined Spirits… present and past… that have given selflessly for the benefit and enlightenment of others. I feel honored by the opportunity to immerse in it. Thank you ((hugs)).
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Oh my Sis..what a wonderful surprise to wake up to this beautiful sensitive, deeply immersed comment you left me here..Hugs!! I had no idea you even knew about it (I forget you read my blog haha) as I was going to send you a personal invitation to visit…and you found it all by yourself:):) Your comment totally uplifted me and helped me to see that the months we spent absorbed in this project were more than worth it. This project was born the afternoon of his funeral..when Danna showed me her drawing and her words…I was instantly struck by how I HAD to build a world for Gino on Kitely and I knew what I would call it/ I made a world that night with the name and now…4 months later you visited it aww just blows me away how life works..As you see this was a true partnership with Dale; we couldn’t have done it without each other and just a small detail for you sis..the butterfly was made by guess who? Haha. Anyway, if you think we honored this wonderful man, then I am so satisfied and I know Dale will be too…Thank you thank you for visiting Gino’s Butterfly….You totally made my day!!!! Hugss Sis..love you Always!!
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Thank you for the very kind words! It’s so great to see the world truly appreciated. I can take credit only for being able to script enough to make Karima’s vision happen in the way that she sees it. Her tribute to Gino is really amazing.
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As I said, I was visiting Gino’s Butterfly again.
Being honest, words can’t really describe, what I am feeling after visiting Gino’s Butterfly and taking the tour. But i try:)
Only one word that came in mind: Overwhelming!
All the details, details and details, oh my.
It is a journey through a lifetime and history and I love it.
Especially the very end of the journey … is so well created.
Sitting there and watching it is an experience I will never forget.
Most of all I like all the pictures on the walls and I love the one with Gino and the cat.
Karima, you and Dale did an impressive and amazing work to honor Gino!
Hugs you both
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Oh Nat, thank you so much for your words. I was hoping that even though you had seen glimpses of it before it was done, the finished tour would touch you deeply. I am so glad that it did! You knew how much he meant to me and my family. You were with me all the way, those last months taking care of him in our house and I am grateful for all your support then and now viewing his virtual memorial. Yes the cat photos in the entry way are very touching..as you know and we have discussed, cats know when someone is near the end and very sick,.,.They stick by closely and loyally in those moments. Dale outdid himself in the end heh., All our ideas we brainstormed, but what we finally decided upon I think was the very best and honestly, moved both of us very much when we saw it for the first time. ourselves..As I was commenting to Dale, sometimes a project like this(we have seen it too in our videos) takes on its own life and just “makes the creators” do it as it sees fit..`It’s that constant and hard to explain dance with the muse..but in the end the muse leads, and if we are wise, we follow.. I really felt that in Gino’s world.. Big Hugs Nat, so very happy that you were “overwhelmed” That is the highest compliment:)
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Thank you so much! It really was an amazing experience. I will just add this (hopefully without spoilers): Karima happened to come on when I had just finished setting up the final motion and was about to try it; she had placed the markers for the path, and I had tested the code elsewhere, but the two had never come together before. She and I both saw it the first time it actually worked, and it was perfect and so moving. I think we both had tears. Sometimes the universe makes everything come together!
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Yes, Karima- congratulations on your special virtual world… Absolutely Super!!
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Thank you Karima and Dale. What a wonderful tribute to a beautiful soul. You can feel the love through all the attention to detail and poignant imagery. The heartwarming photos, the butterflies flying everywhere, the director’s chair that gently wafts you through Gino’s life, and that brilliant march of amazing sketches. Gino would have loved it. ❤️
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Thank you so much Ode and I very much enjoyed giving you the grand tour too. I am so glad you loved the details and I too find his parading drawings very soothing somehow as well as beautiful. When it was finally done (I had decided to do the tour over at the last minute), of course, the first person I wanted to show it too, was Gino:) I hope he somehow has seen it and smiled his approval.
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