KEEP GITMO OPEN! That is, GONE GITMO, the virtual installation of Guantánamo Bay Prison in Second Life.
GONE GITMO, launched in 2007, allows participants to explore a place that is inaccessible to the average American citizen and press. In fact, the Pentagon recently expelled four reporters who have been covering the prison for years. By integrating documentary footage from the actual prison, creating unexpected experiences for visitors and streaming events into the 24/7 live virtual environment, GONE GITMO delivers a unique news report on the complex subjects raised by the off-shore prison including loss of habeas corpus rights.
The virtual prison has been showcased from Yokohama to Cannes and reviewed widely:
“You lose control of your avatar and can be virtually pulled to any location...” New Scientist
“The last thing I notice before I am hooded is that I’m shackled to the floor of a military cargo plane. I hear it take off. Or land. I can’t tell. A man shouts, “Shut up!” and I hear a violent blow...,” Vanity Fair
“Here, users can experience first-hand - through their personal avatar - what it might feel like to don the orange jumpsuit and have your rights indefinitely suspended. Using writings and testimonials of actual detainees to the virtual world, the project aims at new means of connecting viewers to the issues." IDA Documentary Magazine
"A jarring experience...very immersive and unsettling." Rik Riel, media blogger
“Rather than engage in virtual torture, de la Peña and Weil built a contemplation chamber that includes news feeds, statements from public figures and poetry by detainees.” Documentary.org
“I have strong thoughts about the larger social significance of the enterprise. You are involved increating social memory.” Joseph Margulies, Assistant Director, MacArthur Justice Center
The cost of maintaining a virtual environment is real. We have self-supported GONE GITMO since 2008 and are looking to KEEP GITMO OPEN with your help. We are hoping to fund the maintenance fee for 2011 as well as a series of online events, inviting speakers who have visited Guantánamo Prison to come to GONE GITMO as avatars to speak of their experience.
Even though President Barak Obama, five ex-secretaries of state, the current secretary of state, the former Secretary General of the U.N. and the current Secretary General of the U.N. have each called to CLOSE the real Guantánamo Bay Prison... we need your help to keep GONE GITMO OPEN!
For more information, go to: www.gonegitmo.blogspot.com
To visit the virtual prison in Second Life, go to: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Network%20Culture/227/78/25
