Monday, December 20, 2010

Impossible Spaces



I started out in Seecond Life most interested in doing things I can't in the physical world; my very first thought involved architecture. Second Life gives a nice bridge between drawings, plans and models because of the ability to interact with spaces through an avatar. Even better, limitations in material and form aren't a worry because there isn't the limitation of being physical.
After exploring what changes to the land could be made, I opted to excavate a space for my studio, which is really more of an exhibition space and work in itself since I ended up working off-site for a lot of my other projects. Despite not having to worry about support, I started by building a set of large beams. It's interesting to me that I still felt it a little necessary to use these elements, as well as adding scripted lights, even though they're not really necessary; personally I like the aesthetic of exposed crossbeams in the ceiling. The lights are mostly for show and learning to script objects to do things.




Floating land seems almost cliche given a virtual world, but I felt it also had to be done to take advantage of the fantastic elements. I ended up using many smaller touches to reflect the advantages and abilities of Second Life; stones to teleport between rooms and locations, single-way transparencies, and improbable materials like a solid stone roof are some of my favorites and let me explore the aesthetics without worrying about being practical or possible in the physical world.

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