19 September, 2009
Written by Peter Simon

Long cherished desires to complement Cuisine with Digital Art came to fruition on the 'Special Marine Night' of 18th Sept 2009 at Amis restaurant, Nth Stradbroke Island, www.amisrestaurant.com.au

Dave Hannan's 'Aquatic Virtual Decor' surrounded diners being treated to a 14 course culinary adventure led by master chef Peter Roelfes currently on a 6 star sabbatical.

The occasion of a fundraiser for local youth activities was a perfect opportunity to preview the versatility of some special features of 'Coral Sea Dreaming - Awaken' on 7 different large screens setup around the venue (with several borrowed from willing local home loungerooms).

Expansive Moreton Bay and ocean views from the Pt Lookout dress-circle location provided a spectacular backdrop for arriving guests entering reception to be greeted by images of dawn & twighlight moods in 'Serenity-Southern Seas' projected from Blu-ray disc onto a large hanging screen.

Once inside, flatscreens displaying curated 'Virtual Ocean Aquariums', 'Kaleidoscapes' and 'Surreal Seas' set an upbeat tempo for attendees to mingle and admire other marine artwork, sculptures & paintings whilst chatting over served drinks.

With a bow to a European heritage, tantalising potato soup and very locally sourced fresh oysters expertly emerged from the kitchen accompanied by wines chosen just right.

Perhaps inspired by Salvadore Dali's cookbook, Peter Roelfes menu soon embarked on a global gastronomic expedition with evermore exotic taste destinations.

Exploring flavours of Nth Africa & Middle East with bite-size Lamb, Chicken & Couscous dishes, the journey progressed through hinted Asian styles with many mysterious, naturally delicate local gourmet Seafood tidbit variations, to arrive at the discovery of the most eclectic Duck Salad, a not-so secret specialty of the house.

Later, as the atmosphere became even more casual, David introduced 'Coral Sea Dreaming - Awaken' which had been looping continuously on a portable cinema screen, noticeably but unobtrusively, completely filling the feature wall of the dining room with his dazzling tropical coral reef scenes.

A formal focus of the evening was the 'charity art auction' event with several marine theme works fetching handsome prices, including a stunning photographic triptych print on canvas by Lucy Trippett.

The chocolate chili mousse dessert highlighted and lovingly admired particularly by Beate, Co-host of Amis & Peters partner, completed a promised delicious degustation dinner and made a fitting finale to a literally 'sensational' experience.

Easily wrapping up the display gear on the morning after and packing away into a 4WD vehicle all 3 digital projectors with attendant playback, lightweight foldout cinema screens plus a couple of flatpanels, Peter Simon of Plankton Operations demonstrated the feasability of an eminently portable logistics concept and not least the professional technical advice provided by Tim & Margaret at Pro-Cam and Nick at VideoData Hire in Brisbane.

Overall it's memorable living proof of an idea that with artistic passions especially, words fail to fully describe an opulent whole that is very much greater than the sum of all it's parts.

Any astute event organiser would make a mental note with a knowing smile ... and already there are new & uniquely inspired notions underway for the near future ...

'Virtual Decor' anybody ?

Related Current Project:

→ Virtual Decor

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