“Life and Art in Second Life” presented by Gabriel
Symposium:
Session Title:
- Reality Jamming 3
Presentation Title:
- Life and Art in Second Life
Presenter(s):
Venue(s):
Abstract:
One of the many virtual worlds inspired by the cyberpunk literature movement, Second Life has attracted global attention since 2006 and counts today with millions of residents. Aligned with the Web 2.0 trends and considered by many as the best digital life at the present moment, the SL Metaverse (Stephenson) gives flow to cybrid processes. In despite of the fact of not being a complete novelty – since 3D MUVEs (Multi User Virtual Environments) and social networks have existed for more than one decade on the web – Second Life brings several new questionings and possible influences in language and personal relationships that can not be despised. Instead of bringing computational simulations to daily life (digital life), Second Life takes the daily life to computational simulation (Life Digital). Regardless the polemics about the real number of residents in world or whether how long Second Life is likely to keep existing, the fact is that it has started a new way of interacting on the web, where we can choose to follow or break the laws of physics and nature, maybe shortening our distance to “The Matrix” metaphor. The objective of this paper is to explore the new possibilities for expression and interaction provided by Second Life and other virtual worlds on the web, especially in art, and to bring reflections about their probable influence in the future navigation interfaces on the web. Some selected artworks in Second Life will be discussed to illustrate the paper, including one developed by the author.
