Interactive Environments: Bridging the Digital and Physical

Mary Murray, MFA ’08

thesis abstract

My thesis project, Falling Up, is motivated by my fascination with the difference between reality and how we perceive reality; how we make sense of that perception, and finally how we represent that meaning.

The statement above is reflected in my thesis project in two ways:

One: Regarding how we make sense of reality and how we represent it, digital media interests me because it’s able to recreate in the material world the actions of our minds in a way that previous media could not. Digital media because of its interactive and time-based nature, makes it possible for people to move both forward and backward in representations of time – something we do all the time in our thoughts. A major goal of my thesis project is to take this element of the internal thinking process – our ability to mentally move through time – and to make it as external and physical as possible.

Two: A secondary goal of my thesis project is concerned with exploring the difference between reality and our perception of reality. Our eyes and ears are only capable of perceiving information within a certain range. With my thesis project I was interested in creating a playful interaction that made it clear how technology can expand and change our perception.

With both goals, my desired outcome and my methodology remained the same. I wanted to create an interactive environment that people found easy and engaging to use.

In developing this environment I researched two fields with a history of creating interactive spaces: art installations and science exhibits.
From examining those fields and pursuing my own work, five strategies emerged that became important to me in developing my own exhibit:

– Body as Interface
– Mirroring
– Multi-user Interactions
– Immersive Environments
– Playful Interactions

Download “Interactive Environments: Bridging the Digital and Physical” (PDF, 953 KB).