Tower Guide

Yesterday my digital rhetoric class toured Second Life with architect David Denton, who as DB Bailey is building a reputation in virtual environment design. Using the speakerphone in our class as students navigated through the space from their multiple laptops, many of which were projected on the three walls of the experimental classroom, Denton explained how important floors were to SL designers, because of the ways that avatar vision is structured, and why ceilings are often to be avoided. He also argued that retail space was being rethought, since security becomes a non-issue when shoplifting or theft is impossible, so that what is marketed is the brand identity on the assumption that physical goods will be ordered through online retailers. Denton also showed a number of sculptural and artistic pieces in connection with the work he did for Burning Life, the virtual reality environment that corresponds to the annual Burning Man festival out in the physical desert.