DSL Cyber MoCA Virtual Constructions

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Lily & Honglei （杨熙瑛，李宏磊）collaborate with DSL Collection, one of the most comprehensive private collection of Chinese contemporary art, to launch DSL Cyber MoCA (museum of contemporary art) in Second Life in April 2009. The virtual architecture is based on an original art project, “Land of Illusion” constructed in Second Life from 2007 - 2009 by Lily & Honglei. The creation of DSL Cyber MoCA is unique for its metaphorical and aesthetic approaches, and considered a piece of independent artwork by itself, while constituting DSL Collection including more than 90 influential Chinese artists’ work.

The new constructions of DSL Cyber MoCA have following characteristics and implications:

I.DSL Cyber MoCA compiles all artworks in DSL Collection into the virtual space.

II.The museum is located within an international artist community on Second Life - “Arena Media Art Culture”, http://slurl.com/secondlife/Uqbar/250/196/15/

III.The virtual constructions of DSL Cyber MoCA realize ideas impossible in physical world. It is consisted of two presentation spaces:
- Underwater City (under ground level), where Painting & Print Gallery, Photography Gallery, Installation Gallery and Sculpture Gallery are located;

- Water Cube (sky level), where is the New Media gallery, exhibits include videos and interactive multimedia work.

IV. DSL Cyber MoCA is unique for its metaphorical and aesthetic approaches to the art, which is considered virtual environment design as well as an independent artwork by itself. Each virtual construction becomes a metaphor reflecting on the relations of humanity and environment:

- the Underwater City refers to the submerged historical sites in Three Gorges Dam area, therefore questioning the manmade environmental and cultural crisis;

- the New Media Gallery suspending in the air mimics Water Cube, one of the most noted architecture design for Olympic Games and a symbol of new China;

- the heavenly palace-like Water Cube and Underwater City, is connected by a Cloud Ladder supported by a giant chariot,a device used in aggressive wars in ancient China;

- finally, there are Great Fire Walls around the whole space resulting the Chinese buildings isolated from its surrounding - a globalized cultural setting.

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About Lily & Honglei’s “Land of Illusion” since 2007

“Land of Illusion（太虚幻境)” has been developed by Beijing artists Lily & Honglei (杨熙瑛, 李宏磊）since 2006. It is intended to make social and cultural commentaries about virtual worlds, particularly through reinterpreting themes in Chinese folklore. The work reflects on globalization’s impact on the environment and on the individual, which often results in multi-layered cultural or personal identity. It explores displacement and the spiritually homeless who struggle to preserve traditional values. More importantly, “Land of Illusion” is a virtual world art project that proposes solutions for preserving and re-evaluating cultural heritage with digital arts, and developing aesthetic traditions with new imaging techniques in the 21st century.

“Land of Illusion” is constructed in Second Life with virtual traditional Chinese architecture, where Lily & Honglei have created a series of virtual

installations, multimedia presentations and online performances accomplished through cross-continent artist collaborations. It is a cultural meditation engaging history, philosophy as well as Chinese diaspora. The work examines the current economic development of China within the context of globalization, while simultaneously exploring the meaning of virtual online communities in terms of global dialogues as they relate to cultural roots and the fantasy of China. “Land of Illusion” also functions as a net-art platform aiming to fulfill the promise that the Internet is the direct continuation of Enlightenment thought, namely promoting cultural openness, decentralization and independent thinking. As Chinese contemporary artists, Lily & Honglei consider that these aspects are extremely relevant to art-making.

For more information about “Land of Illusion” virtual constructions, please visit

“Land of Illusion” by Lily & Honglei (杨熙瑛, 李宏磊)

For more information about artists Lily & Honglei, please visit: www.lilyhonglei.com

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