Amelia Is Missing

I’m not sure I entirely grasp all the nuances in Amelia Is Missing, but I greatly enjoyed my visit there and have returned more than once. The creation of SL artist Seraph Kegel, this full sim installation tells, in non-linear fashion, the story of Amelia, the human behind an avatar, and her search for identity. As Kegel herself describes Amelia’s challenge in the introductory note, ”She knows she‘s a human being behind an avatar, but deciding if her real person is more or less real than her virtual counterpart becomes an issue she has to figure out. Doing so proves far more difficult than she could have dreamed, within the many ideas of what makes a person, the walls we place between ourselves and other people, the masks we wear—from those that most resemble life to those that are barely made out of cardboard, and even the most fake of masks can birth a life on their own.“

Starting inside, and following a red string that leads the way, we encounter various spaces and insights (first and second images here). As the viewer walks along, a HUD pops up that provides additional context and images. Eventually we emerge outside (next image), where we're told, as Amelia's quest perhaps concludes, "You are now on your own." It's all quite beautifully constructed with many unique vignettes.

From what Rowan Derryth's interview with the artist suggests, this project is the continuation of another from 2011, and you can visit that project, too (photo below)—there's a teleport location that you'll certainly discover. Be sure to watch the video while you‘re there.