Transitional space(s): Creation, collaboration and improvisation within shared virtual/physical environments

ABSTRACT

The recent uptake and integration of virtual world technologies within arts and humanities research has opened numerous avenues for experimental practice within the field of contemporary art. This article reflects upon artistic and curatorial possibilities that emerge through linking shared virtual environments, like Second Life, to community-oriented spaces and activities in the real world. It outlines the collaborative research initiative Eastside Projects: Virtualised & Visualised (EP:VV) (2009) and two of the author's recent new media art installations, Data Double (2009) and Changing Room (2009–10.), as examples of projects that consider the transitory nature of shared, virtual and mixed-reality environments by exploring the mutability and reusability of artefacts, concepts and contexts in the digital age.

KEYWORDS:

• creative obstructions
• mixed-reality
• Second Life
• shared environments
• user-generated
• virtual/physical
• virtual worlds