The Sistine Chapel Reaches Second Life

Steven J. Taylor, director of academic computing at Vassar College, has recreated the interior of the Sistine Chapel in the virtual world Second Life. On the college's Second Life island, visitors can step inside a pale-yellow building and view a replica of the frescoes that adorn the 15th-century chapel in Vatican City. They can even fly up to the ceiling to get a close up of the nine stories from the Book of Genesis painted by Michelangelo. The purpose of the project is to help students learn about art and architecture, says Mr. Taylor, who created the interior from photographs. –Andrea Foster