In a recent Exploring Second Life travel article, I wrote about Elephant Island, the 3-region location designed by Syx Toshi and his SL partner Bryn Toshi (Bryn Bulloch) – see Roaming Elephant Island in Second Life. During that visit, I mentioned Dreamd, the sky gallery home of Bryn’s hybrid art, and promised I offer a piece on the gallery itself- so here it is!
Hybrid art, for those who may not be familiar with the term, is a contemporary art movement which might be defined as, “embracing the convergence of science, technology, and the arts. The term was likely first coined in 2010, although as a movement, hybrid art predates the term by a number of years. Within it, artists work on a trans-disciplinary basis, initially integrating photography, film, radio, television, computers, and the internet into their artistic endeavours.
Over the past decade +, the movement has grown to embrace the natural and physical sciences biology, genetics, particle physics, astronomy, geology, etc.), established and emerging technologies (computer sciences, data processing, robotics, AI, data visualisation, facial recognition, biometrics, etc.), to combine them with traditional art forms – painting, photography, sculpture – to develop art which may contribute to or even critique the fields of research on which it draws, as well as providing unique means for artistic expression. As an art form, it covers both 2D and 3D art. In addition to being regarded as expressive and experimental, it is an internationally recognised genre of art celebrated through festivals and competitions the world over.
For Bryn, Hybrid art is a means of self-expression utilising traditional photography and combining it with AI tools and “traditional” digital processing software such as Photoshop and Procreate to produce digit images that are unique in form and captivating in style. These may not be as bleeding-edge as the more modern forms of hybrid art, but they nevertheless allow Bryn to produce art that moves beyond just digital manipulation to present insight into her imagination.
In all, the gallery comprises four halls. In the first is what might be regarded as the most “hybrid” of Bryn’s work in terms of their imaginative spread, combining nature shots with those of space exploration. In the second hall is a series of pieces celebrating the natural world, again produced through digital means – including the use of algorithms (at least, going by some of the fractal-like patterns evidenced in some of them. While the third hall is currently noted as “WIP”, the forth contains a series of stunning portrait images, with a depth of realism that is genuinely astounding to the eye.
Taken as a whole, each and every image offered within the gallery has a depth and beauty that is genuinely captivating, while the gallery itself occupies a sky platform that sits as a natural extension to the region below. Whether visited in its own right, or as a part of a visit to all three regions. Dreamd gallery makes for a more than worthwhile visit and I do look forward to seeing how Bryn’s work develops and the themes she embraces.
SLurl Details
- Dreamd Gallery (Monkey Cove, rated Moderate)
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