Virtuality and Place

This paper explores the relationship between place, computation, and experience. In particular, it seeksto understand the zone that exists between the digital world on the one hand, and the physical world onthe other. It is suggested that the ideal of “immersive virtual reality”, by focusing on technology systemsto replace the sensory world, misses the opportunity to explore a broader range of connections. Suchconnections involve combining physical and digital components to create blended environments. Anumber of examples of such environments are examined. The term “blended realityi is proposed todescribe such digitally augmented physical environments and to distinguish between them and virtualenvironments or cybrids. A design studio series formed around the exploration, design and experienceof blended physical and digital spaces is described and selected results presented