Rutopia 2 is a virtual reality art project built for the CAVE and the C-Wall VR systems. It explores the aesthetics of virtual art in relation to traditional Russian folk arts and crafts such as wood sculpture, toys and the decorative painting styles of Palekh, Khokhloma,and Dymkovo. Rutopia 2 aesthetics is based on the generalized outlines, principles of composition, bright colors and simplified shapes inspired by these styles.
The project describes a magic garden with interactive sculptural trees. It was conceived as a virtual environment linked to a matrix of several other unique virtual environments that together create a shared network community. A series of 3D modular sculptural trees, each consisting of dozens of rectangular screens, in the main environment serve as portals to the other linked environments. The animation of these dynamic tiled trees is an attempt to break through the static flatness of the contemporary tiled-display grids, architectural facades, and surfaces into the perpetually changing 3D sculptural forms of the ubiquitous public network.
The project was presented in the following networked tele-immersive virtual reality exhibitions SIGGRAPH 2007, San Diego; EVA 2006, London; IGRID 2005, San Jose; SPIE 2006, San Jose; VR SubFest, Buffalo.
