[iDC] The SL Unleashing.

[Alan Sondheim]

I find it odd that 'being an artist' - say cultural worker - in SL necess- 
itates a critical attitude towards Linden as at least part content. Every- 
one I know working in SL knows what the score is, so to speak. My attitude 
is one of available tech; what we do in the space, under the aegis, what- 
ever, is temporary. I've spent maybe $14 over five years total there - I 
feel it would be crazy to invest. My own work is critical of virtuality 
and the apparent omnipotence of avatarism (whatever), and this comes out 
directly in the installations or performances. But I see a real need to be 
totally open, do what I can. Otherwise, for example, in the gallery world 
every artwork should be critical of its exhibition space, and for that 
matter, we shouldn't use a computer, ever, without acknowledging and 
working against the brutal labor conditions that produced it. And maybe 
abandoning the computer altogether.

I'm not even arguing for a balance. I think the situation is aporetic (if 
that's a word), unresolvable. In my teaching and presentations, I speak 
politically - but mention Linden only in passing. My own worries are human 
slaughter in RL, fauna/flora extinctions, and working conditions worldwide 
that make Linden look like heaven. So I'll use a computer/computation/ 
university resources when I can, and produce work that give me (and some- 
times others) a sense of wonder, and I'll talk about that wonder, and 
about the conditions that surround it. But I speak rarely about Linden 
(except to warn, say, people about what ownership and privacy means in the 
space), and focus on other concerns.

This is probably irrelevant and badly written - we're now rehearsing lit- 
erally day and night for some things, and are worn out, but I did want to 
say this, apologies if it's next to useless.

- Alan


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