SIGGRAPH 2008: The Art of Second Life

This is a slide presentation I gave at the SIGGRAPH conference in Los Angeles in August, 2008.

I had spent the previous three months wandering the length and breadth of Second Life in search of answers to the question, What is art in a virtual world and what is its potential impact on the future of art in real life?

I attempted to answer that question in my talk. Though the full transcript of the presentation isn't available yet, I'll add a link to it when it is. In the interim, perhaps this brief statement will do:

It is my view that in a world where everything, including the very ground you walk on, could be considered a work of art, it is virtually impossible to define anything as being art.

But this is nothing new or shocking, since defining art in the real world by the end of the 20th century had already become just about as difficult as nailing jello to a tree.

Second Life, however, has now given us the opportunity to redefine the entire notion: in a universe where we are all virtual gods in possession of virtual superpowers, what need is there for something as outdated and unnecessary as art and artists?

Or, to put it another way.....

The programmers looked out over the expanse of all that they had made, and saw that it was very good.

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items are from 21 Aug 2008.