Doppelgänger Inc. has released a ton of new things over the last month or so, and I’ve hoarded them up for one big post! Their stuff is so perfect for colder weather — just as their summer items broadcast fun and sun, their winter clothing is incredibly cozy and wraps you in layers of warmth.

First up are the popular Forester sweaters. This is an incredibly versatile unisex item that comes with a ton of options like optional prims for bulk and collar and three different plaid shirts included to wear underneath. Available in four colors, the sweaters are basic enough to stand alone but also incorporate seamlessly into other ensembles. Not only are they a bang for your virtual buck, but they are instant classics that will become staples in many wardrobes!

Next, the comfy comfy Henleys! They are perfect loungewear pieces but also layer into other outfits very nicely for just a little sporty touch. These come in five colors and are also unisex — so great that Doppelgänger designers Frankie and Syler don’t forget the menfolk! I’m also wearing their wonderful Button Me Up Socks, which need to be in everyone’s virtual sock drawer!

I love the Sweetheart dresses! These come in six styles — three tartans, three florals — and are just so much fun to wear. They have a sweet, girly vintage flair but also just a touch of upholstered funkiness for balance. I’m going to have so much fun with these!

All the items mentioned above are available in Doppelgänger’s ALBERO outpost, but there are also some special items offered in their Trilogy location that are just too good to leave unmentioned. Trilogy, a small, rainy London street fantasty, recently reopened with an updated roster of shops selling things that fit the theme of Woodcutter’s Daughter. Doppelgänger’s Trilogy items include the adorable bell-shaped Hazel Dresses, cute Wood Grain Tees and a six-color line of Woodcutter’s Overalls that are really fun to run around in. The theme at Trilogy will change at some point, so be sure to swing by for these special items.

Visit Doppelgänger Inc. in ALBERO [SLurl]
Visit Doppelgänger Inc. at Trilogy [SLurl]

FEATURED ITEMS:
Doppelgänger Inc. Forester Sweaters – available in 4 colors with 3 included plaid shirt layers (200L)
Doppelgänger Inc. Henley – 5 colors available (100L each, fatpack 450L)
Doppelgänger Inc. Sweetheart Tartan & Floral Dresses – 3 tartans, 3 florals available (150L each, fatpack 650L)
Doppelgänger Inc. Button Me Up Socks — these come in sets of 4 colors, and 4 different sets available (100L per set)
Trilogy item: Doppelgänger Inc. Hazel Dress – 4 colors available (150L each, fatpack 450L)
Trilogy item: Doppelgänger Inc. Woodcutter’s Overalls – 6 colors available (150L each, fatpack 700L)
Trilogy item: Doppelgänger Inc. Wood Grain Tees – 3 colors available (100L for set of all three)

OTHER CREDITS:
All photos: skin by Rockberry, poses by Penny Dreadful Arcade and Sweet Lovely Cute
Photo 1: chair by LP2, jeans by Miseria, hair by BP
Photo 2: hair by Foam, Love Kitty and Clawtooth by Clawooth. Striped panties by Chic Boutique, glasses by &Bean, jacket by Narwhal, shorts by Miu, shoes by Miel, belt by Kunstkammer
Photo 3: hair by Clawtooth by Clawtooth, glasses by &Bean
Photo 4: hair by Clawtooth by Clawooth, BP, Curio Obscura and Lamb. Shoes by 0 Number, Urban Bomb Unit, Miel and Surf Co. Shirts by Tres Blah, Armidi, Fashionably Dead and Narwhal. Frog (on head) by SHD, shorts by Miu, necklace by ChaosLotus, tights by Petit Ange, striped socks by Narwhal, glasses by Miel.
Photo 5: hair by Fashionably Dead

I just popped out to the Pharmaprix to get some stuff for a little sickie that I have here. I ran next door to the kosher grocery – you know how it is. You go out for one thing and realize you need 15. Anyhow, I bumped into a friend and we got to chatting. Out of the corner of my eye I see someone waving in my direction. I ask my friend “do you know that person because I certainly don’t?” She didn’t either. Then this person starts calling out “Marla, yoohoo” and I realized she was talking to me. See, there is a lovely woman, named Marla, who lives in the Montreal Jewish community. She is at least 10 years older than me, but has a great figure and always very classily dressed, her hair just so, make up, the works. She is truly a wonderful person. I have been mistaken for her maybe 20 times in the last 5 years. I look nothing like her. Nothing at all like her. Except we both have dark hair. So it surprises me to be mistaken for her. {I wonder if she gets mistaken for me ever}

I tried to ignore this woman because I just could not be bothered dealing with it. My back hurts, I have a sick kid at home, ein li koach. (I have no strength). I wrapped up my conversation with my friend, finished my shopping and went to pay. The woman was waiting to talk to me at the exit to the store.

Her: Marla, why didn’t you say hello?

Me: Um, because I am not Marla.

Her: You sure?

Me: Umm. Yeah. [like, Duh!!] I get mistaken for her all the time

Her: Wow, you look so much like her

Me: Yeah, so I hear

Her: So who are you anyway?

Sigh. Who am I anyway? Bloody chutzpah….

_______________________________________________________

ETA from Merriam Webster

never thought it was possible… until my parents ripped this jeep ad out of a magazine and left the page on my old bed waiting for my arrival for the holidays. i had to look a few times before realizing it WASN’T me – WTF?!?!

so NOW, sarkis tweets to me that he actually KNOWS her!!! i must meet this woman!!!!

Japanese department store operator Sogo & Seibu have just the thing for you. As part of a New Year’s promotional sale Sogo, Seibu, and Robinson’s department stores will offer people the chance to buy a humanoid robot custom-built to look, move and sound just like themselves.  The high-tech doppelgangers will be built by Kokoro, the Japanese robotics firm responsible for a line of Actroid human-like robotic receptionists.  Seibu, or Robinson’s department stores from January 1 to 3, 2010. But be warned; only two robots will be available. If more than two orders are received the lucky buyers will be selected by a random lottery. However, with a price tag of 20.1 million yen (US$223,000).  Make that an army of me…

There are so many deals and specials and gifts in SL right now!  I haven’t managed to hit up even a fraction of the sales but here is some stuff I have managed to pick up.

(click for larger)

~First up is this hoodie which is today’s KOSH Christmas Calendar Gift.  This is available for today only for 1L.  Go to the back of the store and find the present in the pool. 
~These fantastic jeans by [Miseria] are available at the Black Market for only 65L.  They are adorable and have two peppermint sticks in the front pocket and a candy cane in the back pocket.
~The hat/hair is one of the 50L Friday specials from Tiny Bird and Reek.  There are both male and female versions available. 
~The skin is by Heartsick and is one of the gifts in the Fab Free group as part of their 8000 member celebration.  You need to check the notices, and it is actually pretty far back, it took me quite a while to find it.  There are TONS of gifts in the the group’s notices right now.
~The gloves are part of a huge freebie wall at Wave.  These plaid ones come in 3 colors. 

Hoodie:  KOSH Christmas Calendar #18 Tainted Hoodie Red  1L  Today Only
Hair:  Tiny Bird & Reek Merritt’s Hatt Icy – Ginger  50L Friday 
Jeans:  [Miseria] Black Market Special Bitter Jeans – Peppermint  65L 
Gloves:  Wave Glove Blue Check  Free  
Skin:  Heartsick FabFree 8000 Member Gift Illusion Freckle  Free
(Join Fab Free Group and check notices)

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~The fabulous Wrap Sweater Dress on the left is only 50L from Hucci.  There are several other colors available at 250L each.  I love the Wrap Sweater that was recently released but it didn’t have a tuck option, but with this dress, you can wear it as a dress, or you can wear just the top, tucked into jeans!  Yay!
~Both of the skins were free.  The left was a subscribomatic gift from Alite and the right hand one is available in the Fab Free Group Notices from Angelwing.
~Both sets of jewelry are also free and they both are beautiful.  The left is a gift from Perturb/ation and the right is the daily gift from *YourSkin&YourShape*.  This will be available only until sometime today and you need to join the group if you haven’t yet. 

Dress:  Hucci Wrap Dress Maj Blue  50L 
Skin:  Alite Free Skin Promotion Subsribo Gift  Free 
Jewelry:  Perturb/ation Xmas Gift Noel  Free 
Tights:  WhoNose Liise Black Tights (part of outfit) 
Hair:  Truth Avery Pecan 

Sweater:  Hucci Wrap Dress Creme (top only)  (review copy)  Thank you, Eboni!!
Skin:  **Angelwing** FabFree Group Gift Summer Nights  Free
Jewelry:  *YourSkin&YourShape* 2nd Group Gift Xmas Bronze  Free   
Jeans:  [Miseria] Bitter Jeans Ocean  (review copy) 
Hair:  Truth Eva Caramel   

.

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~These two tops are also available at the Black Market and are by Doppelganger, 100L for both colors.  There are also a set of cute striped long john/tights available.   Thank you, Syler!

Shirt:  Doppelganger Inc. Black Market Xmas Gift Candy Cane Henley (review copy)  100L
Scarf:  **DP**yumyum gacha muffler 5  30L  
Jeans:  Surf Couture Hot Cocoa Stain Jeans Dark1  
Earmuffs:  artilleri Chimney Hunt #20 Fluffy Earmuffs  Free 
Boots:  *COCO* Christmas Group Gift Flat Ankle Boot Red  (Join *COCO* Update Group)  Free
Skin:  Tyranny Designs Dinah in Fall Toast bare2 
Hair:  Truth Polly Sangria  (from retirement sale)

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~Both of these sweaters are free from Moonshine Designs at Winterstock.  The purple is for the men, but I liked it for me too!  I just had to size the prim parts down a bit. 
~The skin is AtomicBambi and is from the Exlusiva Formal Avatar Gift. 
~The jewelry, jeans and hair on the right were all free. 

Sweater:  Moonshine Designs Winterstock Gift Ladies Dasher Chilly  Free 
Necklace and Earrings:  Rhiamon’s Realm POE #268 Let it Snow!  Free 
Jeans:  Aitui Chimney Hunt #81 Repose Jeans Low Rise (blue stripe)  Free
Skin and Lashes:  AtomicBambi Exclusiva + Partner Xmas Promo Formal Avatar 1L
Hair:  Truth Lydia Espresso 

Sweater:  Moonshine Designs Winterstock Gift Men’s Donner Sweater Plum  Free  
Earrings:  Calamity Hathaway POE #185 Snowflake Earrings  Free 
Jeans: MIASNOW Chimney Hunt #67 Jeans ripped black   Free 
Hair:  Amacci Lucky Chair Gift Sheena Jet Black  Free 

Poses by LAP and Glitterati

i have lost my twin
we were separated
before birth, actually
before conception
i think it happened
when the great artist
mixed colors
spread us thin
across life’s canvas
i know i am not alone
many search for
lost connection
trying to complete
the other half
when, sometimes
they don’t feel whole
we scan heavens
hike across hills
scrutinize creek beds
as water reflects
a million faces
exploring daydreams
nights moon struck
by the challenge
still, i am alone
now wondering
is it shadow i seek

Sometimes you just have to really laugh at life….it is too too funny…..

I had a convo today with someone who reminded me of someone else down to the name…..so so kooky….I’m gonna take it as small talk for now cuz that’s all it can be; would be too crazy if it ended up being anything else… would be interesting to try and explain

I just found it soooo funny

God has quite a sense of humor

Work in retail both long enough and with plenty of traffic
and you’ll eventually see everyone in the World.

Most of the time they’re doppelgangers –look alikes– and that’s perhaps even more fun than seeing the real McCoy because it’s a trick in the mind, a test of memory, a joke of nature.

Today a guy came in to pick up some things and even before greeting him, I had to know. “Who do people say you look like?” and he replied without even thinking about it. “Joaquin Phoenix.” I knew I recognized the guy but I just couldn’t place him. After all, I had only seen one of his movies and that was about 10 years ago.

Just after Thanksgiving, a John Goodman look alike came in. As it turns out, he has regular customers on his route that take comfort in knowing this particular guy would come back next month because his familiar face is a good thing to them.

We also have a local Jamie Lee Curtis twin that comes in from time to time and an Elizabeth Shue ringer from Michigan we’ve not seen for a while. In addition, there’s a woman that comes into our store that resembles my late mother so much so that I have to stop and stare for just a bit when she comes in; but today was easily the most confounding doppelganger experience of all so far.

A regular customer was in and waiting for some posters. Another guy, a stranger, was pricing tripod heads. When the tripod head guy left, the regular customer inquired about him.

“If you don’t mind my asking,” she whispered, “who was that guy? He looks so familiar to me.” I knew precisely what she was sensing.

“I know,” I replied, “but he only looks like the guy; he wasn’t the actual guy.”

The actual guy is not a movie star this time. He’s local. That regular customer and I have both seen him, and often, but neither of us know who it is. Perhaps we’ve seen him in the produce section at a local grocery store, in a toll booth at Exit 52, wandering around with an apron on at Lowe’s on Airport Highway? No. No. And… probably not, but I might have to check out that last one.

If you don’t look like somebody else, you’re lucky because of your unusual uniqueness; if you do look like somebody else, you’re lucky because it’s usually a compliment in one way or another.

In case you’re wondering: just dye my hair black, put a pipe in my hand, remove 25 pounds and 25 years and I’ll look just like my grandfather in 1920. (See glasses, no cheek bones, expression, is that a hoot? His right arm is around my father)

As a side note, digital-based pictures don’t have the staying power of film-based pictures. Come into Kohne Camera and we’ll help you save your digital pictures so your grandchildren can write a blog featuring a picture of you in 2098 A.D.

I’ve always felt a little sad that I don’t have a celebrity look-a-like, but who needs a famous doppelganger when you’ve got an army of clones!

These pictures were all sent to me by friends who all, “swear it looks like youuuuu!” Click on the photos to full view.

Clone # One:

(via mahmah)

Beany found this photo on tumblr. And it’s what prompted me to make this post in the first place. Truthfully, aside from the hair, I don’t see the resemblance. I mean this in the most not-fishing-for-compliments kinda way, but I think this girl is too pretty to look like me. Haha. But I asked several friends –boyfriend included– and they all agree. This photo makes me sad though. I miss the times my hair looked like hers.

Clone # Two:

Xenia and Julie sent me this photo via instant messenger on two separate occasions, months apart. This is probably what I would look like if I had less obesity in my cheeks.

Clone # Three:

This was sent to me ages ago by Deng. Out of the three, I think she’s the one I look the most like. This is what I would look like if I didn’t have the classic Filipino nose, had a flatter stomach and hung out at Harajuku every Sunday afternoon.

So, who are your look-a-likes/clones? Maybe we can join forces, and take over the universe. And if any of you come across photos of more Gab clones, please send them to me at teluete (at) gmail (dot) com. Help me expand my army!

Maybe it’s just me… but when I first laid eyes on Nico Rosberg, I thought he had a striking resemblance to Leonardo di Caprio. To be fair, Nico does not look like the present-day-2009-Leo who has not aged well (i.e. fat and old looking for his age). Rather Nico looks like the Leo-of-the-past that teenage girls used to drool over.

What do you think? For sure the two are far from being twins, but I say the resemblance is there. For sure.

Nerdy note: I once took a course on the Physiology of Aging. It was quite interesting and depressing to learn that the human body starts going downhill around the age of 25. T_T I recommend taking such a course if the opportunity presents itself. I also found some slides here which has a quite high level view on the subject.

Read more here:

http://felidaepunkneko.wordpress.com

Greetings Sugar

Skin:  *FS*  Fiona Gold Glow (Natural)

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Inizio/189/180/26

Shape:  *Carpe diem*  Emma

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Zephyra/74/213/23

Hair:  *BooN*  EKE 119

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Zapico/25/170/35

Jacket:  *Madsy*  Fur Gilet silver

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Bill/221/69/43

Shirt:  *Dutch Touch*  Woolen Cardigan with Hoodie

Skirt:  *Dutch Touch*  Denim Skirt brown

http://slurl.com/secondlife/DUTCH%20TOUCH/189/85/41

Socks:  *Doppelgänger*  Button me up desert socks

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Bill/216/190/44

Boots:  *KAO*  Suede fringe boots

http://slurl.com/secondlife/itutu/129/121/1001

Accessoires:  *YS&YS*  Ivory Necklace+Earrings

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Feel%20Beautiful/101/63/25

Belt:  *Mandala*  Kookai Belt

http://slurl.com/secondlife/TEMPURA%20SOBA/53/123/777

http://felidaepunkneko.wordpress.com

Greetings Sugar

It looks like John Casey has a cult following, and I can understand why. There is something appealing about the lack of torsos, giant heads and hands, and Pinocchio noses of his drawings and sculptures.

Hi there sirs and ma’ams! It’s been a good little minute since i’ve had the time to write, but I refuse to let myself forget about this little venting station of mine.  So, I guess i’ll start off by telling you about my latest film venture. Last week I was lucky enough to get cast in a UNO short film. I’ve been wanting to work on some student films for a while now but hadn’t gotten the chance until recently.  Filming started on Friday and we wrapped Monday morning sometime around one.  I have to say that filming this weekend was a reminder, not that I really needed one, of why I love working on films. I have discovered that you will meet the coolest people in film. Maybe this is just because I had never met any like minded people until I decided to get off of my ass and dive into acting. The cast and crew this weekend were amazing. Everyone knew exactly what they were doing and they made filming an absolute blast. It was without a doubt a great first impression of UNO film making. The only downside of this weekend was the lack of sleep, which was my own fault. I tend to spread myself thin and also worked on the crew of “Extraordinary” this weekend. I got to work boom which was fun, so it was worth the sleep deprivation. Hopefully, i’ll be going audition for some more short films soon and also some paying jobs which would be nice. I don’t mind paying mydues whatsoever buuuttt im broke as a joke right now so i wouldnt mind making some dolla dolla =] Heres a picture Tiffany took when she came on set Saturday

Isn’t it crazy how the effects of certain events in our lives can hibernate? You think that you”ve gotten away without a mark, but it’s all a trick. It’s just waiting for the best moment to sneak up and overwhelm you. There are two incidents I can think of that just recenetly decided to team up and jump me.  Oh wait, three. I was going to just flat out say them. Most people know about them, i’m not shy when it comes to answering questions. I think it’s good for people to air out and not keep things locked away inside. I just can’t say them now, though. But now that these things have finally surfaced it’s time to patch them up. The way i used to deal with things isn’t an option (and no im not talking about drugs). So how do i come to terms with these things. One thing that i’ve discovered and maintained through all of this is my self worth. I might not always like myself but I do know that im worth something. Dealing with all of these things, and being a single mom can be difficult sometimes. It can get a bit lonely. I hate to admit this b/c it just feels like a weakness, but im not perfect. The loneliness can almost get me in some bad situations. I’m lucky though. One thing I’ve always been an owner of is self respect. If that doesnt make sexy, or a “normal” 20 something year old then oh well. Wow, ive been rambling. Sorry, I know all of this probably doesn’t make much sense. But like i said before, this blog is my way of venting. Hopefully soon i’ll be able to fix those wounds that were inflicted some time ago, and continue adjusting to my new life.

I was going to end this post on a positive note but due to the very recent war that is raging in my house, that’s hard to to. My new goal to work towards, is to make a game plan to be able to move out of my house, to New Orleans. Sounds easy, but with a 14 month old, its next to impossible. I’ll find a way though. I can’t deal with the fighting anymore. I really hate conflict and apparently when your 21 and live at home, that isn’t an option. So away I go to make me and Adriana’s new game plan. Wish me luck!

Ghost Hunting Software The Plan

As you know, I love ghost hunting. The problem is trying to keep things organized and documented. When you investigate it is important to document all your findings, personal experiences as quickly as possible. There have been a number of times when I forgot to write something down and struggled to remember the experience or the important fact when reviewing evidence. It is also important to have a tool that your entire team could use so that more than one person can be responsible to make sure they document their findings.

Then came The Plan

Click Here!

The video below shows you how easy it is for you to use. I see this an one of a few essential tools that your team needs. If you building a group and don’t have a system (paper or otherwise) to organize your notes and investigation, check out this software and consider buying it.

ghost hunting software - the plan

If you do purchase it, please let me know. I am interested in hearing other’s experience with the software and how it benefited their group.  Like i said before, I think it is a pretty easy to use and important tool for any serious ghost hunting group.

jeff barnes

Okay so, I am going to talk in first person today for this post because this post is about me, LOL.  Any who last night I experienced a serious case of Drama Llama overload to the point I had to just log out!  There has been a lot going on in the fashion community the last couple weeks – all sorts of DRAMZZZ to be had!  Luckily I am just an observer for the most part but I have to admit something – I am a bit of an emotional person, LOL.  I tend to take in the stress and the anxiety and the hurt and the anger of those around me.  Just call me a living, breathing Deanna Troi or Gem for those of you who know about these Star Trek characters and oh btw Star Trek and Star Trek Next Gen RULE.  Okay sorry I digress, lets get back to the DRAMA.

I actually put this look together last Friday for my contribution to Achariya’s Support Designers Posts regarding the November 5th boycott and I thank Achariya very much for allowing my views to be heard.  In this post my focus was not as much on content theft but more on software piracy and I intend to do a second post on this topic later today.  But for now I want to focus on my Drama Llama meltdown and my Drama Llama shirt from my lovely friend Kesseret Steeplechase of Hilarious and Kess Kreations.  And even though I took these photos on Friday I guess the higher power of fashion that exists in the cosmo was sending me secret messages to delay posting this look because my Drama Llama meltdown was impending, LOL.  The shorts I am wearing are these super cute Madras Shorts from Doppelganger and are technically designed for men, but they seem to work for Lizzie, ha!

Folks I love this shirt and yes I have blogged it before but I don’t care cause it really seems to fit Lizzie ha.  And yeah same with boots – yawn I know but I love my J’s boots so SHUT UP, LOL But instead of featuring a Llama in my pics, I felt as though the serene nature of the Buck at Whippet & Buck’s main store added balance, YAY.  And oh the poses are from LAP and of course my beloved fanny pack is from Yummy.  So I am going to close with quote today from my guru Deepak and oh yeah I am feeling much better today – maybe it was just PMS haha.

“If you want to reach a state of bliss, then go beyond your ego and the internal dialogue. Make a decision to relinquish the need to control, the need to be approved, and the need to judge. Those are the three things the ego is doing all the time. It’s very important to be aware of them every time they come up.” – Deepak Chopra

And as always, take care my friends and have a great second life!

Hair:  >TRUTH< Lizzie – carrot

Skin:  *blowpop* N2 Elizabeth -tone C- 7.2 Periwinkle 2

Tee shirt:  *Hilarious* Drama Llama Approves T-shirt

Shorts:  Doppelganger Inc. – Madras Shorts Nantucket

Shoes:  J’s Western Boots  10 Colors

Hat:  Kurotsubaki mugiwara(apple_version)

Fanny Pack:  (Yummy) Fanny Pack EXTREEEME!!! – Dazzling Golden Yellow

Shoulder Kitteh:  CBC Clawtooth by Clawtooth -  Mrs.Mittens Kitten (Dusty)

Chapstick:  (W) Wrigglesworths – Rosalind’s Chapstick

A short time ago I wrote a post about the opening on October 23^rd, of the Doppelgänger exhibit at “The National Portrait Gallery” in Second Life. This is the gallery’s second exhibit in a series of exhibitions which explores, “contemporary notions of portraiture in the online realm”. The exhibit is hosted on Portrait Island within Second Life, and features the work of; Gazira Babeli, Andrew Burrell (Nonnatus Korhonen), Cao Fei (China Tracy), Patrick Lichty (Man Michinaga) and Adam Nash (Adam Ramona), Christopher Dodds (Christo Kayo) and Justin Clemens (Jack Shoreland). The exhibition opened on the 23^rd of October and runs through the 23^rd of March 2010. Multimedia interpretations of these works are also available for viewing in exhibition spaces at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra. I met with exhibit organizer, Portrait Watanabe at the gallery one evening, where she graciously answered my questions about the exhibit and the gallery.

Nazz: How’s it going with the exhibition, good traffic I hope?

Portrait: Yes it’s been really great! I’m still discovering groups to approach about it but the word of mouth seems to be beginning to bring people in

Nazz: That’s good news; I’ve passed the link on to a several people as well, plus a post in Second Arts. When we chatted the other night you’d mentioned that the exhibit was a year in planning, what was it that took the most time to complete?

Portrait: I suppose the longest part was preparing our Gallery’s council or board for the idea of an exhibition in second life. The island build began about three months ago and gradually evolved as the artists created their works.

Nazz: Then this is the gallery’s initial foray into second life and virtual worlds?

Portrait: Yes, I think it may even be the first cultural institution in Australia to do so. Having said we needed to prepare our board – they and our Director have been amazingly supportive of this move.

Nazz: What was it that brought you into second life?

Portrait: Initially I suppose I wanted to find out what this virtual reality looked like having grown up on trashy films like the lawnmower man. I did what many people do originally and stayed for a few hours then didn’t come back for ages. Once I did a bit more research on the artists working in Second Life I thought it would be a perfect place for an exhibition about digital identity.

Nazz: How long have you been associated with the gallery?

Portrait: I’ve been with the portrait gallery for six years, however only three of those as the online manager. This is our second online exhibition – the first was a series of animated self portraits by 12 Australian animators

Nazz: The exhibit here is essentially about digital identities, how did that develop for you as a concept for doing an exhibition?

Portrait: The Portrait Gallery has always been interested in challenging traditional notions of portraiture. Over the past few years i have become interested in the projection of identity into online spaces; in particular our adoption of these spaces as the ‘third space’.

Nazz: What are the traditional notions of portraiture that this exhibition challenges?

Portrait: A lot of our audiences still expect portraiture to take the form of an oil painting of an important politician or explorer … or at the very least to be figurative. This exhibition explores the notion of data as a conduit of identity.

Nazz: With the concept of digital identity in hand, how were the artists selected for the exhibition?

Portrait: I researched artists working in SL whose ideas, artwork and performances suggested an interest in this theme. They have been an amazing group to work with – each has produced work that extends the ideas of the exhibition in different directions.

Nazz: Can visitors at the real life gallery see for themselves what has been done by the artists here in Second Life?

Portrait: Yes, while the works were developed for display on Portrait Island we wanted to give our real life visitors the opportunity to experience the works at the Gallery so we invited the artists to produce extensions of their works for display in our real life project spaces.

Nazz: Have they each responded with something?

Portrait: Yes, each artist produced a different interpretation of their work for the real life space – some produced machinima, Andrew Burrell provides a real time view of his work through the eyes of an avatar – you can see him floating around above us. Patrick also provided QR codes for audiences to download his screen tests to their mobile devices and the Autoscopia collective produced a composite portrait of the RL artists which compares the ideas they explore in their second life work with the 19th century tradition of composite photography. The works operate across many platforms and I think this draws attention to the fact that the perceived line of the computer screen between real life and second life is just that – a perception.

Nazz: Most lines are “perceived”,

Portrait: Indeed.

Nazz: The length of time for the exhibit is five months, why so long?

Portrait: I wanted to give people time to discover the exhibition – including those who may never have been to Second Life before. It will take us a little while to market the space to the real life media. We see Portrait Island remaining as a display space for the gallery and have invited artists to submit proposals to display work here that deals with the themes of identity and portraiture.

Nazz: Excellent idea, the blurring of identity will only intensify in the next several years. Are there any plans to utilize other virtual worlds?

Portrait: Yes most definitely. Second Life was selected for this exhibition because of the real life media it has received and its large population base. But I am keen to explore other platforms for future exhibitions.

Nazz: You’re closing thoughts or comments?

Portrait: I would just like to thank the participating artists and our island designer and encourage as many people as possible to come and see the exhibition. And thank you Nazz for your time!

The featured works from the participating artists from are noted below:

iGods, 2009 by Gazira Babeli: Holds up a critical mirror to ‘real life’ from within Second Life and reminds us that “in Second Life, DNA is code and in virtual worlds this code can be replicated or borrowed”.

temporary self portrait in preparation for the singularity, 2009 by Andrew Burrel (aka Nonnatus Korhonen): A virtual mnemonic device containing narratives of the artist’s life, both remembered and imagined. The viewer is asked “to wonder if the site of the self can be shifted to a place completely removed from its traditional abode somewhere within (or as a part of) the body”.

Autoscopia, 2009 by Adam Nash (aka Adam Ramona), Christopher Dodds (aka Christo Kayo), and Justin Clemens (aka Jack Shoreland): This work “examines the derangement of identities through the projection of our personalities into digital environments”.

iMirror, 2007 by Cao Fei (aka China Tracy): On loan from the artist and Vitamin Creative Space, Cao Fei’s three-part, documentary-style machinima, reminds us that “real emotions are difficult, if not impossible, to omit from human encounters”.

CodePortraits, 2009 by Patrick Lichty (aka Man Michinaga): Patrick Lichty’s CodePortraits, “becomes a metaphor for recognition; of the human tendency to identify with faces, be they real or virtual”.