Crossworlds Gallery, co-owned by Nerd Bert and Fabilene Cortes, is designed as a “bridge between RL and SL art”, presenting – as one might expect – a rich mix of art from both the physical and the virtual / digital.
Spread across seven levels (although one was empty at the time of my visit), Crossworlds comprises four main display areas for six of the levels, with the uppermost given over to the Bryn Oh Garden. Movement between the levels is via teleport stations unmistakably placed in the central hallways which dissect the display areas on each.
At the time of my visit, the first level featured art by Hechos, Pixivor Allen, Feathers Boa, Consuela Caldwell and Scottius Polke; the second art by ByrneDarkly Cazalet, MarieLou DeCuir, Walt Ireton and Sabbian Paine; the third Olimpiadelarte (who came to Second Life specifically to display her art in-world), Sheba Blitz, Sil Brandi and Munroe Snook. The fourth level is devoted in part to Eternal Contemplation, an interactive / spiritual exhibition by BellaLuna Xigalia, with separate displays by Hijinks Blaukempt and Ronin1 Shippe; the fifth floor hold art by June Clavenham and MillyWH.
The art on display is amply diverse in style and presentation, ranging from in-world photography through paintings, abstracts, photography, digital art, collages, and drawings, all with an equally diverse range of subject matter. In fact, if there is one thing at all I’d say in general about the art on display, is that in places there is perhaps a little too much; I couldn’t help but feel that some of the display areas might benefit with a little more “wall space” between images so as to allow one to focus more fully on individual works.
A case is frequently made that art from the physical world displayed within Second Life “doesn’t work” or isn’t as “successful” as art both produced and displayed in-world, and often the argument is made that it is down to the limitations of upload resolutions. I don’t tend to hold with that view, but sway towards the issue being more a case that we are perhaps more open to viewing art which as it origins in-world than that produced out-world, a bias which perhaps extends into the world of blogging about art in Second Life in general.
Certainly, there are many demonstrations that art from the physical world can be effectively presented in the virtual, a far few of which I’ve attempted to cover in these pages. Crossworlds is very much one of these, bringing together a rich pool of talent from both sides of the physical / virtual “divide” offering an equally rich mix of art. While I may have commented on the volume of art on display in some of the sections, this should be seen as a reason to defer a visit: Crossworlds very much makes for a worthwhile and enjoyable visit.
SLurl Details
Crossworlds Gallery (Rated: General)
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