iMirror, 2007

by Cao Fei (SL: China Tracy)
Second Life machinima
Courtesy of the artist and Vitamin Creative Space

Cao Fei's three-part, documentary-style machinima, iMirror, was first screened at the 52nd Venice Biennale, 2007. Through the eyes and experiences of her avatar, China Tracy, she takes viewers on an exploration of the spaces, communities and interactions that take place in this virtual environment. While the aesthetics of Second Life initially appear confronting and strange, Cao Fei's gently melancholic storytelling gradually suggests similarities between Second Life and reality as we know it. She reminds us that avatars are, after all, controlled by real people. Real emotions are difficult, if not impossible, to omit from human encounters.