Art can be found anywhere. From the whorl of a fingerprint to cloud formations across a clear blue sky. The world is a canvas and creativity abounds. So, I don’t know why I was so surprised to find that stunning works art also exist in virtual reality. Yes, obviously it makes sense in hindsight – computer programmers have done some amazing things with technology.
But I’m not talking about perfectly written HTML (although, a totally compliant script can be a thing of beauty), I’m talking about an artist who, stepping away from his physical canvas, has developed a cult like following for the work he exhibits under his persona on the MMORPG, Second Life (SL).
Bryn Oh (he won’t tell me his real name, which I think adds to the mystique) is a Canadian kid who, like most of us, started from humble beginnings – building little things in the snow (“winter clay”). Before heading to the Ontario College of Art and Design to work on his God-given artistic talent (and spending a requisite semester abroad in Florence, Italy), he tried his hand at studying Psychology in Montreal. He dropped out (to his parents dismay). After OCAD, Seneca to study computer animation, then the Toronto School of Art for Zbrush (a digital sculpting tool that combines 3D/2.5D modeling, texturing, and painting). It seems like such a technical leap from wielding a paint brush, but the end result – whether tactile or purely explorational – is an exceptionally crafted piece of fine art.
“Building in Second Life can be a very social experience with regular feedback from people wandering about, whereas the studio artist often spends months alone in their workspace creating a series of artworks with the social aspect and feedback being mostly just the opening night,” Bryn explains.
Apparently, there are somewhere over 25 million inhabitants world wide wandering around SL. I had only heard of it in passing, so if this is the first time you’ve encountered it, or the mysterious artist Bryn Oh, don’t beat yourself up. He’s something of a phenom in the virtual world, but his creative successes are also garnering international recognition in real life. Case in point? He was recently featured in an issue of Italian Vogue. How’s that for impressive? For the anonymous guy who likes to keep a low profile, even he found the experience “a bit bizarre, to be honest.”
This artist is quite modest, seeing that the fact that he/she was given an entire sim for a year!
I am sure you will enjoy zooming in on all the small articles scattered around as well as clicking on the notes and letters; and don't forget to visit the cellar.
The pipes are done very nicely with the limited items one to work with in Second Life.
Listening to the YouTube tapes will surely enhance your experience.
Below are some of Bryn Oh's earlier pieces which my avatar and other friends avatars were incorporated into for photo shoots.
I am glad to be able to share this unique artist with you.
This avatar is inside of a very high sculpture full of moving and rotating objects which are held together by a spiral staircase. Reaching the top is a difficult endeavor but well woth it. So many delightful treasures to find along the way up.
Be careful not to fall!
Else you will have to begin from the lower level again.
