The border between the virtual and the physical world, the digital and the tangible, the cyborg and the individual, is becoming an increasingly blurred phenomenon. Whether it is the daily surfing within the Internet mazes or the interaction with the communicative and organizational systems regulating our lives, we constantly find ourselves intermingling with a dimension that is only apparently not human. A dichotomy, precisely that of human and non-human, that proves to be more and more unstable and questionable.

LaTurbo Avedon, as an entity born in the online realm and living between the domains of video games and the arts, acts as a significant presence in the debate around the present and the possible futures. Through her projects - based on informed and curiously emotional considerations -, LaTurbo reflects and challenges the perception and the experience of reality. This approach enables us - as flesh and blood beings - to dive into a shifted awareness of the world and to cast doubt on our anthropocentric perspective.

Would you like to tell us about your genesis and how your existence as an avatar first began?

Most role-playing video games will at a certain point bring you to a menu page, when you’re prompted to either design or name your character. For me, these windows of self-creation felt a lot more important than the game’s storyline that I’d likely spend a hundred hours inside. I was choosing everything - just how I wanted to be, and everything I could become.

This changed how I approached role playing games, as I wanted to retain these experiences of mine. Creating my character, over all these years. The day of the Millennial Fair in Chrono Trigger. Idling in the atrium of Balamb Garden, letting its melody play over again. Watching a sunrise over Cellin from the large bed in a 600i. These statements may mean nothing to you, but as a participant in virtual worlds, these are my memories to keep. You might even recall them yourself, in this unique occasion where users might share an asynchronous experience. Through this cluster of saved games, profiles, addresses, wins and losses, I have very well received a life of virtual reality.

I continue to create myself, each time I load in. A part of me may carry forward, a part of me may change this time. Versioning, New Game Plus.

How has your virtual identity evolved over time, and in what direction are your research, focus and vision heading now?

Each virtual world imparts something to me, and it only grows more elaborate as games become more sophisticated. Originally, my major identity choices may have been limited to the dye of the armour on my rogue in Everquest, or one of only several pixel changes to a sprite in a handheld world. These little moments still mean everything to me. As the years pass I enter such vivid sources of personalization. Specifying the inner aura glow effect of my eyes.The perfect motion captured animation overrider. There are so many ways that I can be myself today.

Last year I did commissions for both the Manchester International Festival and The Whitney Museum, where I was able to create works that in their quiet ways, raise the virtual mirror. My contemplative saved data, as I can render it. As someone that has resided in these worlds for so long, it grows important to be a steward of it. To encourage people to protect the liberty and possibility of virtual space.

What are the challenges and assets of living and moving within the cyber world? How do you experience the physical world from your perspective, and how do you interact with the tangible realms?

There are many limitations with how I exist and work. You won’t see me in physical meetings and networking events, but you might see me in a multiplayer lobby out there somewhere online. It takes a lot more effort to bring people where I am, but it is always such a joy to see others make their way. My physical dealings are often done by proxy, so somebody gets to LARP or maybe help me render something out there. My network is such an important part of my world - I wouldn’t be realized without their support.

In your bio on Instagram, you define yourself as a futurist; would you like to elaborate more on this definition and concept?

I stand in the surf, making art about the future while creating things that might influence what the future actually becomes.

Concerning the dichotomy virtual/physical, what are the current biases that, in your opinion, most urgently demand to be questioned or addressed?

There is an absolutely pivotal moment at play in regard to the future of virtual experience, and I worry that it is gravely underestimated. In just several years we have seen unparalleled growth in XR, metaverse projects, and other sophisticated virtual platforms. While this is exciting and promising for this field of work, the public is losing their opportunities to demand rights, protections, and control of their personal data. The most precious, lasting information of a human being’s life is often invisible and unattainable.

Our recent generations will likely be known as one that only late in life received some form of data reform, because they lived the majority of their lives agreeing to terms of service. This must be corrected, before virtual experience reaches any form of indefinite operation. Tomorrow is a long time.

Would you say that the Internet is the mirror of reality or vice-versa? What are the crucial issues in this mutual reflection and influence?

When I created the mirror emoji in 2019 with artists Theo Schear and Jennifer 8 Lee, it was because I wanted people to ask this question. When a virtual mirror is parallel to your reflection, what do you see? It is there, in front of your character, or rendered in one’s imagination - a mirror and window all in the same.

A mirror allows for introspection, self-examination. These qualities don’t stop with the Internet, it needs them. The ability to examine and choose how to change. Users value themselves, and that should not be unseen when they choose to log in.