Identity as Mask, Filter and Window

As I was pondering a comment Splash Kidd made last week on identity, the analogies of masks, filters and windows came to mind:

• masks that project a constructed image that hides underlying aspects of our self
• filters that accentuate certain dimensions of our personality while diminishing or coloring others
• windows that provide a glimpse into deeper levels of our being that are usually hidden

We meet the world through a multiplicity of masks, filters and windows corresponding to roles such as parent, employee, student, party goer, etc.  The way we dress, the style and substance of our communication and even subconscious expressions such as posture can vary quite radically between roles. Although this seems to beg the question "Which is the real you?",  upon reflection it's apparent that the being behind each persona inherently transcends any particular expression. 

It seems to me that all three modalities can be used to consciously explore the multidimensional expression of our being.  Although the realities of physical existence limit the roles one can play in the atomic world, virtual identities offer us an almost unlimited potential to break out of habitual modes of expression and connect with new aspects of one's being. 

There are many ways to play with virtual identities. Some people have a single identity that morphs into different forms and characters. Others create multiple "alts", each expressing a particular persona that deepens over time through a continuity of narrative. Like just about anything in life, the trick is to be immersed enough for deep and authentic experience while maintaining a spark of an observing consciousness to stay awake in the dream.

Anti-Spoiler Alert: Totally Misleading Clue Hidden in "Night and Day" Video

If you missed the video, here it is:

Identity and Being

 

My ongoing exploration of identity has taken many twists and turns over the last few years between the launch of this blog and the recent opening of the Caerleon Museum of Identity. For all my writing, stories, video, comics, infographics and other meditations on the topic, I always end up on the shore of Emptiness. Emptiness in the Buddhist sense that nothing possesses intrinsic or enduring identity.

So if that is the case, what has been the point of all this musing?

One reason has been to use such exploration to uncover, bring to light and deconstruct the fictional nature of identity. Despite knowing better intellectually, I habitually experience a pervasive visceral sense of the solid identity of self and others. The creative process is one way to lift some of the veils.

Another purpose has been to experience the creative joy of the journey and to develop and practice new skills in the mediums I've dabbled with along the way. Identity has been muse, canvass and tool for much of my artistic work. In one sense, Botgirl is essentially an ongoing piece of performance art on the idea of identity.

Finally, it has helped me increase my ability and determination to not be hypnotized by outer identity so I can be more fully open to the sentient being within.

Conceptual Art Project Hides Within New Machinima Sitcom

Night and Day is a new machinima series that takes the buddy movie genre into the virtual world. Although written as a sitcom-level comedy, it's also a conceptual art project that plays with the dance of fact and fiction in the expression of pseudonymous identity.

On the surface, the video series is "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" meets "Charlie's Angels" in the virtual world. Night is a smart, hot party girl who loves to see and be seen at the trendiest dance clubs, parties and VIP events. Botgirl is a reclusive mini-skirted Spock-like genius who is befuddled by Night's social circus parade.

But behind the outer level of what will hopefully be experienced as LOL/OMG comedy, there is a subtext of Night and Botgirl as fictionalized versions of the real Night and I, who are in themselves fictionalized expressions of so-called real humans. The conceptual art aspect of our trilogy is the triune nature of our characters and the way that narratives contribute to the creation of identity.

The first episode is set to premier later today. Stay tuned.

The video premiered here on NWN. Read Night's thoughts on our collaboration on her blog.

Avatar Life Insurance Company Launched

A false sense of security?

Today, you're walking on a beautiful beach with the one you love. Prim hair blowing in the breeze. Surf sounding in the distance. Your recently purchased 500 position sex bed is ready to provide you and your partner with infinite hours of intimate pleasure. It seems as if your virtual world will always be young, fresh and full of opportunity.

Here at Avatar Life Insurance we don't like to be alarmist, but EVERYTHING YOU KNOW AND LOVE IN YOUR VIRTUAL WORLD CAN BE TAKEN WITH YOU IN AN INSTANT WITHOUT WARNING.


Only time will tell whether recent rumors about a Microsoft takeover of Second Life will prove true. But it is fair warning that your Second Life is lived at the whim of the Linden Lab Landlords. And they can pave it over or sell it out from under you in a heartbeat. And there is absolutely nothing you can do about it.

Botgirl Linden. Happy ALI customer

The good news is that we at Avatar Life Insurance Company can offer you a policy to protect your virtual life when disaster strikes. When you open up a basic policy, we will register your avatar name on the top 20 OpenSim grids and upload your avatar shape, skin and up to ten outfits of your choosing. If Second Life becomes Sharepoint 3D overnight, you can simply log into another world and start your virtual life fresh, with the name and shape you've come to love.

For even more protection, our deluxe program extends protection to a wider set of virtual worlds and virtual places. We will register your name, create an avatar and establish a basic inventory on five additional platforms of your choice, including Blue Mars, IMVU and Twinity.

And if you have special needs, we are happy to accommodate you. We have furry, tiny, Gorean and even griefer programs that can quickly get you back on your feet (whether two, four or none) in a jiffy.

So get in touch with Botgirl Questi to learn more about this exciting new program that can protect your virtual life and the virtual lives of the ones you love. For only pennies a month, you can rest assured that you and your virtual family will survive the demise of Second Life.