LaTurbo Avedon's Virtual Factory Installation in Fortnite

Artist avatar LaTurbo Avedon has created 'Your Progress Will Be Saved,' a virtual installation inside the video game Fortnite, commissioned by The Factory in Manchester. The work is part of the Virtual Factory project, a digital program leading up to the physical opening of The Factory, designed by Ellen van Loon of OMA. The installation begins in a contemporary gallery space featuring a mirror emoji—proposed by Avedon and accepted by Unicode in 2019—then transitions through a portal into a virtual apartment, a digital warehouse hosting 'Rave Still Lifes,' and a nightclub. Avedon describes the piece as an 'explorable poem' exploring virtual reflection. The Factory, a 13,000-square-meter cultural venue costing over £100 million, was inspired by the Manchester International Festival and supported by then-Chancellor George Osborne. Virtual Factory will feature subsequent works by Jenn Nkiru, Tai Shani, and Robert Yang. The installation is accessible for free on multiple platforms via Fortnite Creative Mode code 1248-2128-4287, with guided tours on Twitch and an interactive experience on the Virtual Factory website.