A Dream of Red Mansions - VR Art by Philip Zhai & Lily X.Yang 杨熙瑛

A Dream of Red Chambers ( machinima of Land of Ilusion )

duration: 5'24"

virtual reality design / machinima by Lily X. Yang

... ...
As flowers fall and the flowing stream runs red
A thousand sickly fancies crowd the mind
I know not why my heart's so strangely sad
Half grieving for Spring and yet half glad
Glad that it came, grieved it so soon was spent
So soft it came, so silent it went!

And then I wished that I had wings to fly
After the drifting flowers across the sky
Across the sky to the farthest end
The flowers' last fragrance resting-place to find
... ...
The blossoms fall, the water flows
The glory of the Spring is gone
In nature's world as in the human one

- A Dream of Red Mansions, Cao Zhan, Qing Dynasty

The work has been created in a MUVE (multi-user virtual environment), which enables audience to experience the virtual environment in cyberspace world-widely. In both virtual and actual gallery settings, audience are encouraged to interact with artifacts to understand digital art as interpretation of traditional culture, aesthetics and literature.