Many educational institutions have sims in Second Life, Princeton University being one of them. It has recreations of lovely old buildings and a garden laid out in approximately its present form by Mrs. Woodrow Wilson at the beginning of the 20th century, but some incredibly intriguing surprises await those who explore a little farther. Near the “campus” area of the sim is the Princeton Gallery of the Arts. Currently on display is an exhibition entitled “Art in Science”. The idea behind this is that both artists and scientists are intent on making discoveries about the world around us and that the two disciplines have this in common.

These works are records of “aha!” moments, when all the pieces fall into place, either for the scientist or for the artist. In the Princeton North area of the sim are a couple of installation pieces, Flower Ball and Liquid Light. Flower Ball is, in the words of its creators, Douglas Story, AldoManutio Abruzzo and Desdemona Endfield, “an interactive art thingy”. From the outside it looks like a ball, inside it contains close up floral photographic works by Douglas Story, arranged in layers. By flying up and down, layers of music, or a soundscape, as composer AldoManutio Abruzzo calls it, are added to the visual experience. Desdemona Endfield is responsible for the scripting. Nearby is a second installation, Liquid Light. This work was created by Juria Yoshikawa, with music by AldoManutio Abruzzo.

In this work, columns of white light are interspersed with yellow shapes that expand and contract. The work itself is placed over a waterway, so that in order to experience it the visitor must fly into the space, and by so doing will also experience the music composed for the work. Finally, in the Princeton South area, is a third installation, and the most recent of the three works mentioned here. It is named DynaFleur, and again it is a completely immersive experience. It uses the photographic images of Douglas Story, with scripting by Desdemona Endfield, music by Dizzy Banjo, and terraforming by Poid Mahovlich. The visitor walks, or falls, through a tube in which flower petals unfold, until one finally reaches a small lounge area. On the walls are more photographs of flowers, which are revealed when the visitor flies up to them. Words alone cannot give a strong enough idea of the experience; it must be visited and is very much worthwhile. All the works here, in the Princeton Gallery of Arts, Flower Ball, Liquid Light and DynaFleur explore nature, but the last three do so only in a way that is possible in second life, so that in the Princeton sim we can see the evolution of the use of Second Life.
Submitted by Hibiscus Hastings