OMNIBUS A is for Avatar-ness

Now, obviously Avatarness isn't a proper word, and the correct way to say it would be something like... The Psychology of Virtual Existence, or... Virtual Identity or something sounding very high-brow, but basically, anyone who isn't totally hung-up on the idea of an Integrated Personality (that's those people who insist that there Human and their Avatar are EXACTLY the same) will acknowledge that being an avatar is different.

So.....a very long-winded introduction, but....I wanted to put together some photos/art that sort of speaks about some of those things that those of us who have lives in Virtual Worlds think about occasionally.

I am not talking here about photos that try to make avatars look like humans, rather the opposite...ones that make a statement (to me) about avatarness.

Now...it's a very dangerous thing to assume that, because I get something from a photo... the artist put it there...it's not necesssarily true. However, it doesn't matter... thats art...it sends different messages to different people...





Now my first.... Life Support is by Ariel Brearly... and is just one of many of her pieces I could of chosen. I particularly liked this piece cos it sort of shows how we are all linked...well...to me in any case, ...also it's a great photo.






This one from the Sims is by Kady and called The Garden of Eden.. ... The whole of the 3D worlds are portrayed in 2D on our screen and I thought it clever to deal with that in this way...2D/3D/2D... mmm






Now, it seems like IMVU is not an easy place to get great photos out of, but I like this one by Nikalu its called Rag Doll . There are often questions posed by people who talk a lot about Virtual Identity on " who is pulling who's strings"... it's like my avatar makes me do things, meet people and say things I might not as Human....






...and this mirror image, me and my avatar, separated simply by glass (the computer screen) is well portrayed here (if unintentionally??) by Liliansame from There.com, and called Orientais.






Morgana le fay in this piece from World of Warcraft called Zulora
makes no apology for the avatarness of her subject but revels in the difference. It's all enhanced by the graphic effects that reminds me of a woodcut.






Lano has a number of images I could have picked but this one was most decidedly the one. Called The Truth Behind
it doesn't really need any words....pretty obvious from what I've been going on about that this one is right on theme.


Well...there are probably loads more stuff I have missed in my trawl thro Koinup, but I hope you enjoyed this weeks little trip.

I'd encourage anyone, if I could, to keep on making images of Avatars as Avatars...the fake human ones are OK too...but these ones are almost documenting a new phase in our mental pioneering... we are the pioneers of Virtual Existence, and potentially the Avatarness Researchers.

soror Nishi

:))