​"The Lost Generation meets 'Midnight in Paris' meets 'Downton Abbey' meets Second Life..."

 

In 1920s Paris, Gertrude Stein's salon became a legendary gathering place where artists, writers, and intellectuals found freedom to experiment and exchange ideas. Nearly a century later, I recreated that revolutionary spirit by hosting the first mixed reality dinner party—simultaneously connecting artists in a physical Los Angeles gallery with avatars from around the world in Second Life.

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The 700-square-foot gallery was transformed into an authentic 1920s dining room, complete with vintage furniture, aged walls, and over 100 framed avatar portraits creating a salon-style hang. The central dining table was set with period china, crystal glasses filled with wine, and flickering candles, while a large projection screen displayed the virtual mirror of this space within Second Life.

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This ambitious performance piece emerged from five years of research into virtual communities and digital identity. Like the expatriate artists who flocked to Montparnasse seeking creative freedom, today's digital natives gather in virtual worlds where they can transcend physical limitations and social constraints. In Second Life, anyone can be tall, thin, young, or embody entirely different genders, races, or species—echoing Duchamp's Rrose Sélavy and the modernist fascination with constructed identity.

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The evening's performance featured guests in period costume engaging in real-time conversation with avatars projected on screen, creating an unprecedented dialogue between physical and virtual presence. Advanced teleconference technology allowed seamless interaction between the two realities, while both spaces maintained identical décor and atmosphere.

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This work questions fundamental assumptions about authenticity, community, and presence in our increasingly digital age. If meaningful relationships can form between people who have never met in physical space, what defines "real" connection? The avatar portraits lining the walls—each representing complex individuals with defined social roles—challenged viewers to reconsider their preconceptions about identity, judgment, and marginalization based on physical appearance.

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Drawing inspiration from Marina Abramović's durational performances and the identity work of Cindy Sherman and Lynn Hershman Leeson, this piece marked a pivotal moment in exploring how digital communities fulfill the same human needs for creative freedom and intellectual exchange that drew artists to Paris nearly a century ago.

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The installation served as both historical homage and prophetic vision—demonstrating how virtual worlds create new forms of artistic community while maintaining the essential human desire for connection, creativity, and transformation that has driven art movements throughout history.