• http://slurl.com/secondlife/Eyebeam%20Island/204/43/27/
• http://vimeo.com/866985
• http://www.doublehappinessjeans.com/
• http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/25/at-sundance-a-second-life-sweatshop-is-art/
• http://www.jeffcrouse.info/news/updates/behind-the-scenes-of-invisible-threads/

Invisible Threads is a mixed reality performance installation created by Eyebeam artists Jeff Crouse and Stephanie Rothenberg. The project explores the growing intersection between labor, emerging virtual economies and real life commodities through the creation of a designer jeans sweatshop in Second Life. Simulating a real life manufacturing facility that includes hiring Second Life "workers" to produce real world jeans sold for profit, the project provides an insider's view into current modes of global, telematic production.

In the physical space, a retail kiosk equipped with dressing room is set up to sell a variety of custom "Double Happiness Jeans". Prices range between $35-$45 USD or L$11,000-L$13,000 in SL's virtual currency ($1 USD ≈ L$270, depending on daily exchange rate). There are currently 6 designs, including: Roadkill, No Pants Left Behind, MyPants, Casual Friday, Low Rider, and Classic. The jeans come in a variety of sizes and cuts, and customers are offered additional features such as diamond studs or ragged hems.

In the virtual SL factory, a textile assembly line is outfitted with Jaquard weaving looms, dye vats, laser fabric cutters, industrial sewing machines and quality control. SL residents are hired through job recruitment ads placed in the SL classifieds to operate the various machines as well as serve as floor managers, supervisors and security. Workers receive L$200 per hour (≈$.80 USD) and 512m plots in the factory village for the duration of their tenure at the factory. Just as in a real life factory, workers are monitored and held accountable for their efficiency and production errors. The erratic flow of supply and demand and extenuating circumstances such as equipment failures and irrational dispositions may result in docked pay, layoffs and overtime.

Using a just-in-time production process, customers in the real world are able to purchase their jeans directly from the manufacturer, Double Happiness. A microphone and web cam connected to a computer creates a live stream of customer orders into the virtual factory. The audio/video stream, projected inside the factory Orwellian style, enables SL workers to see each customer and hear their order. On the assembly line, the first worker starts the production process that involves loading cotton bales into the Jaquard loom. Once the fabric is made it moves down the assembly line through each machine. Each worker stationed at a machine is responsible for selecting the correct options based on the customer's order. The worker also has a limited time frame in which to press the correct button otherwise the assembly line stops and the order must start over. At the end of the production process, the jeans go through the SL to real life "portal" resulting in an output from a large format printer. Customers watch their jean orders being produced in real time in the factory via a computer projection in the physical space. Once in the real world, the jeans made from cotton canvas require simple assembly before being worn.

The project is located on lovely Eyebeam Island. The factory is a beautiful replication of an industrial age building, complete with managerial offices, a break room, and a loading dock. Outside the factory, employees build their homes in the style of their choosing and share a communical seaside plot. A community of workers keep the island alive between manufacturing "seasons".

Via this telematic manufacturing process, the real lives behind the avatar "workers" stationed at industrial machines begin to emerge. This interplay between reality and virtual embodiment not only sheds light on the current politics of outsourced labor but foreshadows what has already become the future of capitalist production.