This week we are shining a spotlight on Colpo Wexler, an Italian Resident who is an architectural and design maven in both the physical and virtual worlds. Having been in SL since close to the beginning, his style and ability to navigate change have adapted with finesse.

Custom build for PARÉ Mega Store

How long have you been in Second Life and how did you first hear about it?
I {have been} in SL since December 2006. I heard about it through a friend with whom I then founded one of the first Italian {regions} in SL: "ITLAND," which later also became Orientation Island as part of the Community Gateway of SL.

Custom build for Palette Mega Store

What first inspired your love of architecture?
I studied scenography at the Academy of Fine Arts of Brera in Milan, and previously at the Art School with a specialization in architecture. From that time I imagined that my scenography in the future would be dedicated to virtual reality and that's what I did. Creating architectural set designs for metaverse.

Custom build for UBER Event

Had you done 3D modeling before you started building in SL, and what 3D modeling software do you use?
Yes, I used to model both architectures and objects but obviously I applied meshes only when they were introduced in SL. Previously for years I specialized in the realization of buildings in prims. The software I use is Blender.

Custom build for T O X I I N Store

How would you describe your virtual architectural style?
My style is generally minimal/modern but I often like to range and contaminate styles. Clearly I also love cyberpunk, new retrowave, and urban style. This taste for the contamination of styles comes from the requests of my clients, who often propose interesting ideas that stimulate creativity. As you can see on my portfolio on Flickr, many of my buildings are the result of the fusion of the styles I mentioned before, and sometimes also of oriental or classical motifs.

Custom build for Elle et Lui store

Tell us about some of the other Residents in SL that inspire you and whose work you admire.
As you can see I've been in SL for a long time, and I was inspired by other architects or designers I had seen in the early periods. One of them is definitely Botha, who made houses. Then there was a beautiful furniture store (with a lot of prims also) called CULT. Obviously there are, and have been, a lot of really good creatives in Second Life throughout its history.

Custom build for H A P P Y Event

Where can people follow you to learn more about your work? Please share links to your sites and social media accounts.
My Bio: http://www.colpowexler.com
Portfolio: https://www.flickr.com/photos/colpowexler
Website: http://www.mydigitalcult.com
FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/colpowexlervr

Custom build for UBER 2021

Colpo has been creating custom builds for content creators and events in Second Life for many years. Check his Flickr for his full portfolio.

Custom build for ASCEND Mega Store

We hope you enjoyed learning about how Colpo was drawn to building and designing in Second Life.

Each weekly post will feature a different Resident to showcase the spectrum of experiences and personalities found in our virtual world. If you have created something inworld that you’re proud of, or have had a deeply meaningful experience that could brighten someone else’s day, please sign up! More info here: https://second.life/spotlight-signup