The official opening ceremonies for Helsinki’s new Aalto University are being held today at Finlanditalo and, of course, they are being broadcast in Second Life.

On December 21, I met Tuula Teeri, Aalto University’s new President, to create her Second Life avatar. This was an interesting process because she knew what she wanted fairly exactly. She had no problem with the naming convention deciding very rapidly that she would be Tetrix Beeswing – for a series of reasons involving literary references and oblique puns. Esa and I spent a couple of hours with her, getting her used to her avatar, and then shopping: skirt, shoes, hair, makeup, jewelry, and more. Actually we only had time to go on an illustrative shopping tour during which she made a series of decisions about the appearance and visual image she wanted.

I was then instructed to go back and purchase the clothing we had seen, or find the clothing we had discussed but not seen. Finally, after half a day’s work Tetrix was ready for public display.

Last Monday, January 4, I participated in the recording of the Presidential Address, in which Tuula Teeri, in her guise as Tetrix Beeswing, give a speech from inside Second Life, on the Aalto University island, which is right next door to Rosario. A live audience had been assembled on the island, and the speech was recorded on a simulated multi-camera set-up in Otaniemi.

The pre-recorded Second Life speech was broadcast this afternoon at the real life celebrations at Finlandiatalo, where everyone who is anyone in Finland was sitting watching – from the President and Prime Minister to poets and artists. The live event was then streamed back into Second Life, in an infinite regress.

This is a picture of the crowd watching the video screen on Aalto University island in the Helsinki afternoon. What they can see is the dignitaries in Helsinki looking at the pre-recorded movie from Second Life.

Later they will watch the dignitaries watching live music. Unfortunately, the dignitaries will not be able to watch them watching them. Next time, maybe.