NMC Campus Observer

This Class is Hell!

CDB Barkley (aka Alan Levine) : Jul 19, 2007 06:44pm

We urge you to make sure sometime between now and Sunday you have a chance to explore one of the most innovative learning experiences in Second Life — another fantastic project from Desideria Stockton and Eloise Pasteur. Stop reading this blog and go now to NMC Campus 5 (205,14 55)!

NMC was approached by Desi for a space to hold this build as described by Larry Pixel:

NMC oftens donates space for short term projects (examples have been NMCConnect for Amoration, several full-sim artworks by DanCoyote, and others)

When Desi and Elosie approached me with the idea for illuminating Dante’s “Inferno” with a sim sized build of Hell itself, the concept seemed perfect for Second Life. We’re always interested in helping innovative artists and educators push the boundaries of how people think about how to use virtual worlds, and this is one of the most creative ideas we’ve heard is some time. Desi, Eloise and their students have made great use of the space, I think, and the juxtaposition of a work written in the 1300’s with images of real-life people in the news is both provocative and thoguth provoking. I think anyone who visits it will come away with both a deeper appreciation for Dante, and a new perspective on how we regard people in the news.

Since Second Life enables one to create almost anything… why not create hell? See Dantes Inferno first hand:

Now this sim is not just about creating a spooky place. This whole project is built around literature classes, and is an actual classroom experience going on now. Be sure to click the signs for information (note cards and URL links). The project is actually a bridge of two works of literature– it is meant to teach about Gloria Naylor’s novel Linden Hills, which is based on the the concepts in Dante’s Inferno. This sim brings them together more vividly than other media could ever do.

Each level of Dante’s descent includes background inforamtion, teaching notes, and some thought questions about the meaning of the levels and how Naylor’s characters may have fit. In addition, students (and visitors) are invited to create posters with photos of modern day people that ought to be assigned to say “Gluttonous”, “Hoarders and Wasters”, “Wrathful”, “Violent” — and they have to justify their reasoniing with research (and provide accurate citations).

So the path to hell is littered with placards of potential residents including politicians, actors/actresses, mass murders, historical figures, etc.

The build (Eloise’s mastery) is incredible in the mood it creates- from smoke, to ambient sound, to lower levels that are dark and forbidding, where your light is limited to a few steps ahead.

So I cannot strictly say I “enjoyed” my visit to hell, but was mesmerized by the richness of the experience. I took mostly photos and did a little bit of machinima in the lower level (I am very amateur with the camera, certainly no Stella Costello who is actually doing a full fledged video on this build), but here is my little afternoon production:

Visit to Dante’s Inferno [4.2 Mb Quicktime movie]

But that is only a portion of the trip. You ought to explore the Linden Hills set as there are many subtle features and interactions to explore there (besides the dumpster diving- I went in 4 times!)

Again- congratulations to Desi and Eloise for creating something truly unique and sharing it with us.

It is only available until Sunday. This is not because we do not want to keep it, but if you can imagine, hell is a pretty unsightly neighbor for the adjacent sims!

We are hoping to bring Beth and Eloise to the NMC Symposium on Creativity next month to share more information on this and other projects.

Story filed under: Teaching and Learning

See all stories by CDB Barkley (aka Alan Levine)