AVATAR/IRL
AVATAR / IRL is Walker’s contemporary elaboration of Oscar Wilde’s 19th-century thought: “Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.” now, over 100 years later, in the contemporary moment of social media and electronic communication, there is a great deal of virtue attributed to face-to-face human interaction. But are we more ourselves in anonymity, or when we are present? We can create a virtual façade that eliminates our faults and enhance our successes, but does this not communicate our ideals and values more clearly? Where are we being more honest? In real life, it is dangerous to wear your heart on your sleeve, so do we actually put ourselves out there as openly as we do online? With AVATAR / IRL, Walker attempts to unpack the relationship between anonymity and honesty, and consider what is in our hearts vs. what is behind our masks.
