The Hotel Dare

When I minored in art in college, there was one course titled 3-dementional design and as part of the arts program, it focused on the study of artistic design as it focuses on a space (also known as installation art). Be it an indoor environment, a room that tells a story or the placement of artistic elements within a natural space (think The Gates by Christo and Jeanne-Claude) Ironically, that course of study is now known as Spatial Arts or Spatial Design, as today; the term 3-D design refers more commonly to disciplines within the field of computer assisted design, video game design and virtual worlds like Second Life. I guess the reason I find that Ironic, is that I was recently tipped off to an art exhibition in Second Live where artists are using the 3-D design tools of SL to create Spatial Art installations.

The place is called the Hotel Dare. Located on a sim that looks like it may very well be it’s own series of art installations, I focused my attentions on the Hotel Dare itself. Not really knowing what to expect, I entered the ground floor of the hotel in to a nice but unassuming lobby. As I wandered around, my first reaction was that there were no real nice places to sit and visit with someone, the poses on furniture seemed awkward at best. Well as it turned out after a little more exploration, sitting and visiting isn’t exactly the point of this place. The Hotel is meant to be experienced!

What I walked into is a creative project coordinated by Gattina Dumpling and Charlotte Bartlett. Designed to resemble a hotel, but each room is a spatial art installation by a deferent SL artist. The plan is to cycle the artist about every three months, currently installations by Four Yip, Eelilahlee Westland, Chicanery Turnbull, Censored Mylunt, JoJorunoo Runo, Speedy Horner, Dizzy Banjo, Meat Carver, Poid Mahovlich, Mijn Boa, Rachel Breaker are on display.

By the way, since my visit the other day, that unassuming lobby is already gone... replaced with a winter lodge, presumably for the holidays. The room exhibits have not yet been changed.

Visit the Hotel Dare in world at http://slurl.com/secondlife/Aura/126/129/22