Connection: Virtual Immigration

Today we re-visited the virtual world, Second Life. About a month ago, we had discussed SL in the context of news gathered for “current events” discussions. We had discussed the fact that SL is a virtual world where you have to be 18 or older to participate, and that there was a counterpart for teens called “Teen Second Life.” We talked about the fact that there was no way to control other people/avatars in SL, and that if I was to guide you on a tour via a projection screen, there was a chance we’d need to shut the screen down if anything risqué was about to occur. In addition, I asked you to have your parents sign a permission slip to cover all of our bases.

We had watched the YouTube video below as an introduction, and then I led you on a brief tour of Info Island.

Today, I asked everyone whether they had explored Teen Second Life on their own. A few people had, and we talked about what it was like at first. We discussed questions like:

• What did you see first?
• Were other avatars around?
• What were they doing?
• How did you learn to get around?

Of course, several of you picked right up on the fact that I was leading up to building a connection between the SL/TSL experience and the experience of real life (RL) immigrant.

To further this connection, we led you on 2 SL fieldtrips to places that were quite fantasitical compared to Info Island.

The first teleport we made was to The Gallery of Reflexive Architecture. (If you have SL downloaded on your computer at home, your parents can visit this location by linking to http://slurl.com/secondlife/Architecture/191/105/601.) Prior to this visit, we watched the YouTube video below.

This gallery was designed by Keystone Bouchard, whose goal was to make the architecture moves in response to the presense of avatars. We used visual literacy skills to speculate on what Mr. Bouchard was trying to communicate in creating this gallery. I was quite taken aback at how good you are at asking questions that help yourself and others gain a deeper reading of visual images.

Tamari pointed out the white and black background create the feeling of another world and reminded her of the lack of color in The Arrival.

Snapshot of The Gallery of Reflexive Architecture by Flickr User Bettina Tizzy

The second stop on our tour was Sl’s Imaging Place, created by by John Craig Freeman, Emerson College. Mr. Freeman created this SL simulation based on a virtual reality art project he created in real life.

Snapshot of The Imaging Place by Flickr User joannamkay

Again, we explored Imaging Place, we again used visual literacy skills to ask questions exploring the message the creator might have intended.  Afterwards, I gave you more information on this project, and we watched a video of Mr. Freeman speaking about Imaging Place.

At Digicult.it, Imaging is described as follows:

Imaging Place, is a place-based, virtual reality art project. It takes the form of a user navigated, interactive computer program that combines panoramic photography, digital video, and three-dimensional technologies to investigate and document situations where the forces of globalization are impacting the lives of individuals in local communities.

The goal of the project is to develop the technologies, the methodology and the content for truly immersive and navigable narrative, based in real places…[From Jan. 5-Feb. 23, 2007] Freeman…[had] been implementing the “Imaging Place” project in Second Life. In “Imaging Place SL: The U.S./Mexico Border,” Freeman explores the issues, politics and personal memories of this contested space.

Homework

1. Take another virtual fieldtrip!  Visit  “Folk Songs for the Five Points” to virtually explore immigrants in the present day through music (get there by clicking http://www.tenement.org/folksongs/)
2. As explained on this website, “Folk Songs for the Five Points is a digital arts project that allows you to create your own “folk songs” by remixing and overlaying a range of sounds taken from New York’s Lower East Side.”
3. Create a folk song mix, save and email it to yourself.  Then, forward it to me.  Hope you have as much fun exploring this site as I did!