Kudos (and then some) to Robbie Dingo for re-imagining a painting in Second Life
If I didn’t have 1001 other things to do with my time, with consequences for not doing them, I think I could sit in front of a computer for hours and watch Robbie Dingo‘s inspiring piece of machinima, “The Starry Night.” The movie—set to the emotional Don Maclean song about Vincent van Gogh and his famous painting—shows the creation of a three-dimensional world in the impressionist style of the original artist. It is genius on several levels. Not only is it a great micro-documentary on the craft of 3D modeling in world, but it illustrates the absolute best of the young medium: making tangible important cultural artifacts and ideas.
Think about the traditional ways someone might study a painting. She might see it in a museum (a great expense for most people). Likely the only exposure would be a picture of the painting in an art book. A knowledgeable teacher might talk about van Gogh’s life and his other works. The Impressionist movement, techniques and philosophy would be discussed. A lot of facts could be shared, but that student would never be able to experience the artist’s perspective beyond the final work.
Now imagine if Dingo’s work were accessible to that same student. The entire back story of the painting would be tangible. Using an avatar for embodiment, she could walk around the town and into the asylum in Saint-Rémy de Provence, where the artist voluntarily spent a year in treatment after cutting off part of his left ear in Arles. Different vantage points might show different works van Gogh compiled while in the region. Perhaps similar worlds could be constructed to show a realistic view of Saint-Rémy, or variations of the same scene in the style of other artists for comparison. Look up at the other end of the sky, and there would be a recreation of the variable star in the constellation Monoceros, V838 Monocerotis, a photograph of which was captured by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2002. Role-playing avatars could wander around as townspeople in the summer of 1889, talking about encounters with the shy artist with one ear or just chatting up the mundane happenings of the evening. The world of van Gogh can come to life, albeit a Second one.
A 2002 photograph of a variable star reminded some of van Gogh’s paining.
The movie—which was originally released in mid-July—was created in borrowed space. As Dingo wrote:
Shot on location in Second Life then post-produced, this was an idea I had a while ago. The Sim in this work was on temporary loan so it’s all been swept away now, leaving only the film behind. It was always intended however that the video would be the end product, not the build.
For those looking for a little more footage, Dingo made some available after a few days of positive comments from appreciative viewers. The Second Life magazine, New World Notes, described in more detail how and why the “Watch the World” project was done.
The machinima piece represents the best vision of what Second Life can do for education. Immersive worlds. New perspectives. Deep information. I’m not sure where I will find the time to do so, but I’m determined to exit the current academic year with the SL technical skills to craft similar kinds of exploratory worlds, perhaps building off of themes of interest emerging from Carter’s home schooling. Hmmm, I wonder who I know who might teach me these things …