Who knew you could learn so much from hanging out in a virtual fishbowl? Artist Strawberry Holiday takes guests on a trip into the world of a 3D recreation of one of her real-life paintings through her exhibition at Kush City. Update: You can watch a machinima of it on Vlad Bjornson's Shiny Life site.
Besides being an interesting point of view to explore, the fishbowl installation also advocates acceptance for plus-size women in Second Life and beyond. On a canvas of blue water and a miniature midnight city, the artist's aquatic world is filled with plump mermaid sculptures, caught in the middle of their cheerful play. Although some residents present at the opening considered this work a combination between Van Gogh and Robbie Dingo, what captured me was the lovely way in which Holiday expressed her message. The style was fresh and lively, a definite must-see.
If you like the artist's work at Kush City, you can also see her work at The Second Louvre Museum or at her own Winged Gallery.
Thanks to Tayzia Abattoir for the heads-up!
1. Yay! So glad that you covered Strawberry's newest creative endeavor. I think it's a wonderful experiment. Where else but in SL could you actually let people go INTO one of your paintings?
I can see why people might compare this installation to Robbie Dingo's starry night video. Strawberry does have a sort of impressionist style and Robbie's video is still fresh in everyone's mind. But - I have been a fan of her paintings for a long time and A Fishbowl View is as close to being in one of Strawberry's paintings as I can imagine. She did a wonderful job of translating the colors, textures, feelings, and themes of her paintings into the third dimension.
I like the piece so much that I made a short video/machinima to help spread the word. You can see it here: http://www.shiny-life.com/2007/10/08/strawberry-holiday-a-fishbowl-view/
Posted at 10:20AM on Oct 9th 2007 by Don