I have read ‘Spirit of Place and Sense of Place in Virtual Realities’ by Edward Relph (2007), which has offered me a brilliant insight into the dynamics of virtual reality, the meanings of place and the ethics of building worlds virtually. Below are my notes and thoughts.
THOUGHTS
- Spirit of place – idea of place being the home to its own spirit, giving identity to that place by its presence and its actions
- Sense of place – synaesthetic, combining sight, smell, hearing, touch, movement, memory, imagination and anticipation. Can be learned and developed through careful observation and openness to/appreciation of the differences between places
- “the electronic age presents a deep paradox for place design – electronic and modern communications enhance appreciation of distinctiveness yet simultaneously undermine the factors that have always been instrumental in creating distinctive places.” – virtual places online could begin to rediscover this sense and spirit of place, communities attached to forums artificially embedded in the internet that host a strong and powerful energy
- or, on the other hand, intensifying this post modern diversion from a sense of spirit and place towards an acknowledgment of different perspectives
- where does sound sit within this? sound enhances the sense and spirit of a place by reflecting the energy that the place produces into a phenomenological abstraction, whilst also being a key component in what the place is, what it represents and how it identifies. Changing the sound of a city for example from what you associate with it to something different automatically alters the place, it begins to transform it into a new place
- in reality a virtual world cannot possibly be authentic as it is not real, it will forever be a depiction of something else (simulacrum). I feel in the future virtual reality will begin to develop its own presence, away from resembling what is real, especially with AI. For example the Unreal 5 engine that was showcased in the Matrix game beta used AI to render cars, pedestrians and buildings along with their interiors in real time. I think AI will definitely be used to fully construct virtual places in the future once the technology becomes more advanced.
- Ethics to consider, such as what are the purposes of the simulation and what is it capable of encouraging? Addiction and real world implications like spending money, as well as the influence of feeling like something is real and your mind becoming warped can be very poisonous.
- Virtual reality has limitless possibilities compared to the real world – there is no bureaucratic regulation, no real life scaling and developing. A framework that can be morphed and transformed to create a meaning – a spirit and sense of place – through interaction can lead to amazing possibilities. An everchanging, fluid and adaptable environment that can defy physics and promote a collaboration between environment and user is an exciting difference to the real world.