personal projects/vhs: virtual hotel suicide

virtual hotel suicide

over the course of two years, i used an avatar to interact with, and explore, the simulated environment of the Chelsea Hotel on Second Life. my goal was to shoot a film starring the avatar that i had created using Second Life's browser-based software with the hope of generating an artwork that would parallel some of the artworks that have been created within, or inspired by, the hotel’s real-word counterpart in Manhattan.

video

started: 2011 completed: 2013

filmaking in virtual worlds

the process of creating Machinima (a type of film where computer graphic engines are captured to create a cinematic production) was difficult at the time this project was created. over time, my inability to overcome the technical challenges of creating film in this way forced me to think about the legacy of the Chelsea Hotel and the legendary figures that were connected with its history. one day, out of frustration i pushed my avatar off the side of the building, and virtual hotel suicide was born.

project legacy and existence

what's left of my time at the Chelsea Hotel? four short vignettes about the pressures of the creative act, all of which have the same ending — the death of the hero, a resident artist at the Chelsea Hotel that, in theory, can't die, and will live on forever. just like some of the people that lived there for a time.

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