One day, a client asked me to explore new possibilities for online language teaching. It was 2006, and e-learning systems were booming, but they looked too much like the methods sold in bookshops - binders and CDs in a nice cardboard box. I was looking for original solutions that were as immersive as possible. 

That's how I discovered virtual worlds - the Metaverse, as it was already called at the time. 

We've been hearing a lot about the Metaverse since Mark Zuckerberg appropriated the concept, believing it to be the future of Facebook. The term first appeared in 1992, in Snow Crash, an SF book by Neal Stephenson. The author describes a future where humans live simultaneously in two worlds: the physical and the virtual, an evolution of the Internet created by its inhabitants: the Metaverse. 

There are many virtual worlds in 3D. Second Life is one of them; originally inspired by Burning Man, it is a community that creates its own world. It lends itself to creativity, business and education. There's as much intelligence and stupidity here as in the rest of the internet. For me, it's a creative environment of choice for inventing, illustrating and staging stories.

When I arrived, the Second Life virtual community was barely 3 years old, but it already offered all the tools needed to create a virtual language school. Access to SL (Second Life) was - and still is - free: you create an account, an avatar, and you start to move around in a 3D world built by its residents. Even then, you could create a building, classrooms, an amphitheatre, host groups and chat, show images and films - in short, create and run a school. 

I was immediately impressed by the creative potential of Second Life, even if my first steps in this virtual world were disconcerting: unlike video games where you move around in a pre-established scenario, Second Life offers total freedom. Literally: everyone creates their own appearance, decides where to go, who to meet and what to create. 

I quickly got my bearings and began my investigation. I visited all sorts of places, many of them unlikely. Botanical gardens, amusement parks, dragon breeding reserves, shady districts, shopping areas and, yes, the business centres of companies that are well known in the real world. For example, a famous car brand was showcasing prototype designs; a Swiss bank had opened a small branch; better still, a major computer networking company was trialling a vocational training centre, with the idea of saving its employees travel and hotel costs. I even discovered a project for a virtual language school. 

Armed with all this information, I drew up a project for my client, but in the end he didn't accept my proposals. But it was indirectly thanks to him that I undertook this exploration. I'd like to thank him for that.  Ambre Singh's virtual and artistic adventure could now begin. 

But before giving way to her, a few thoughts on the Metaverse and the nature of reality.