Virtual reality has been described as a ‘new medium’—that is, a canvas for creation which is unique among other forms (books, radio, paint, music, video, etc). The truth of this is becoming abundantly clear thanks to artists who are adopting programs like Tilt Brush to make amazing works of art which offer undeniably
Case-in-point, artist Stuart Campbell (AKA Sutu Eats Flies) is a talented 2D artist who has taken to Google’s Tilt Brush to forge immersive artwork from his notably gritty style. The results are nothing short of amazing (be sure to enable ‘HD’ option in the players below).
This particular piece showcases four styles in four ‘rooms’ within the virtual canvas, almost like a mini-gallery, allowing the viewer to put their head through a window into a distinct reality. More so than just amazing artwork, this piece begins to explore how spatial arrangements of art scenes within the VR space can be used as a facet of the artwork itself.
Campbell has also put Tilt Brush’s reactive brushes—which respond dynamically to sound—to give life and action to a scene, dictated by the choice of music.
In another work utilizing reactive brushes, Campbell brings action to still strokes by ‘animating’ a series of poses for the viewer to imagine as a string of motion.
And one more worth highlighting (for now), here Campbell explores the inside of a creature at the opening of the video, making it look like he’s traveling down a tunnel or emerging from wormhole of sorts into a dark netherworld. This is a great demonstration of how the viewer themselves can be an important part of how a piece of virtual reality artwork is experienced.
Each of these pieces showcases unique possibilities of virtual reality art. Consider that artwork of other mediums has been honed over—in some cases—hundreds or thousands of years; while this is what artists are creating just a few months after being able to step into the virtual reality medium. As it grows and matures there’s much more new and amazing work to come.