Field Fisher Waterhouse launches art exhibition in both real life and Second Life
05 November 2007
Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP has launched an art exhibition
simultaneously in Second Life - the virtual world where the firm
has an office - and in the firm’s real life, London office.
The exhibition shows mosaics produced by children and young
people in Nepal. They are all victims of child trafficking who have
been rescued by The Esther Benjamins Trust.
Field Fisher Waterhouse's Second Life art exhibition.
The Trust was established in 1999 by Philip Holmes and has two
main programmes in Nepal – the Programme Against Child Trafficking
(PACT) and the Child Education, Development and Reintegration
Programme (CEDAR).
Under the tuition of Philip, rescued children have been
producing their own mosaics using locally-available bathroom tiles.
The initiative was developed into a small not-for-profit business
for older trafficking victims who have been rescued and needed
training that would lead to work and financial security. The sale
of the mosaics ensures the artists a good wage, with any surplus
invested in the charity’s fight against child trafficking.
Field Fisher Waterhouse launched its
Second Life office in April this year, becoming the first ever
major law firm to do so. Second Life was created by US company
Linden Labs in 2003 and is one of the fastest growing virtual
worlds. There are currently over 7 million unique users
resident in Second Life and the combined real money value of the
major virtual economies now exceeds the GDP of many nation
states.
The firm also worked closely with The Esther Benjamins Trust and
Second Life Developers Depo Consulting Limited, to help the Trust
build its own Second Life premises which provide further
information about the Trust’s work and more examples of the
mosaics. The Trust also plans to use these premises for
further exciting in-world activities, which it will announce in due
course.
The firm is committed to supporting the arts and holds regular
exhibitions. This latest exhibition, which is the first to be held
in the new Second Life office, follows Keith Jansz’s solo
exhibition earlier this year at the firm’s London office.
David Naylor, the Field Fisher
Waterhouse technology partner leading the
project said: “It is fantastic to be able to use our office in
Second Life to support the work of The Esther Benjamins Trust in
this innovative way. We are delighted to have been able to
help them set up in Second Life and reach out to an even wider
community of potential supporters.”
‘We are really grateful to David, Field Fisher Waterhouse and
the team at Depo for giving us the opportunity to showcase the
mosaics to a new audience,’ commented Chris Kendrick at The Esther
Benjamins Trust. ‘Second Life is a new venture for us, but one we
are keen to utilise if it can help us to offer new hope to the
innocent victims of child trafficking in Nepal.’
For further press information, please contact:
Louise Eckersley, PR Manager,
Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP on +44 (0)20 7861 4120
Scarlett Yianni, PR Assistant,
Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP on +44 (0)20 7861 4795