Is a photograph real? What about a Realist painting?
Would you categorize an online virtual world as reality? What about the learning or the human interactions which take place within that world?
Through the generosity of an Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) grant, the Spencer recently purchased an island in the online, virtual world of Second Life. In doing so, new questions have bubbled up:
In the spirit of this investigation, the works in this installation address the topic from another angle: can physical artworks illustrate ideas from a virtual environment? Join us in the conversation.
I, Avatar
In Second Life, an avatar is a fully-customizable, virtual representation of a real person. With so many options, how will you present yourself? Artists explore the same concept in portraits and self-portraits.
Log In
A Second Life avatar is the vehicle through which you can explore the virtual world. It’s often necessary to have a vehicle to access an alternate space. Sleep is a means to access a dream world; a rocket ship, the vehicle needed to access outer space.
Your World. Your Imagination.
Second Life’s slogan is “Your World. Your Imagination.” The virtual world itself is constructed entirely by humans digitally manipulating pieces of information. How much of our own “real-life” worlds do we construct? We might remodel our house or office to create a different space. Or we might unconsciously construct a story to fit our memory of a certain event.
Social Networking
Throughout time, human relationships have been at the heart of nearly every aspect of life. The same is true for the virtual world of Second Life. Users may meet people from across the world, forming friendships, business partnerships or even romantic relationships. The works in this section explore ways in which people interact in the physical environment. How do human exchanges vary with the circumstances?
Please feel free to share your thoughts in our Conversation notebook in the gallery, or here on the website.