In Between Painting

Initially I chose to explore the massive multi-user online environment of Second Life in relation to escapism, and the dichotomy of real and not real (virtual) asking questions such as; How do people represent themselves as avatars? I discovered atypical avatars based on inanimate objects; Do these avatars portray the dichotomy of real/not real? Can an avatar be portrayed as an entity? I began to focus on: Gothic/vampire, looking avatars in relation to Derrida’s theory of undecidability. I examined the idealised avatar and the gaze in relation to Laura Mulvey’s "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” (1975). This essay was based around film theory, psychoanalysis, and feminism, and influenced by Sigmund Freud and Jacques Lacan. My focus changed to unusual avatars such as children and hybrid humans in relation to reality and fantasy. I read Donald Jones’ theory of reality where he commented that virtual reality is a 'cultural construct' that forms a 'hybrid reality' by merging bodies, technology, and society, within virtual reality that questions ‘the nature of being’ and its limits. I considered Jean Baudrillard’s theories on hyperreality, Simulation and Simulacra. Hyperreality can be thought of as “reality by proxy” instead of experiencing it for themselves, people view spectacles, either real or metaphorical. Instead of the real, Baudrillard claims we have simulation and simulacra and the world we live in has been replaced by a copy where we search for simulated stimuli and nothing more. I decided to re-examine the unusual avatars based on hybrid/human forms in connection with David Gunkel’s theories about the user/avatar relationship, the avatar being a proxy, and/or an entirely separate entity from the user. Gunkel explores virtual reality, and the problems with online social interaction in relation to "the real", avatars, and users.

Painting:Gesso on Other

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:47.2 W x 23.6 H x 1.8 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.