Virtual Togetherness

Despite so-called “social distancing”, since March 2020 humans have made more connections than ever. The myriad of ways in which we now communicate dominate and enable our lives. This workshop will study mediated gatherings in the past, present, and future using a variety of analogue and digital materials, from drawings and models to reenactments and events. We will imagine new forms of togetherness and, in turn, design spaces which blend architecture and media into one multilayered whole. During the workshop we will explore the limitations and possibilities of communication subjects to physical and virtual mediation, between bodies far and near.

Virtual togetherness requires a medium and a language, and therefore, a form of literacy. A hug transmitted through our voice in a phone call, words in a letter, or emojis in a text message can retain some of their intended warmth if  they follow the ever-changing grammar of the medium in which they travel. Literacy is a key emancipatory force which has largely defined levels of individual freedom in the modern era. The languages we read and write evolve in parallel to media.

ADMISSION CRITERIA / PARTICIPANTS REQUIREMENTS

Preferred criteria:

• An undergraduate degree in spatial design, architecture, furniture design or computer graphics
• Experience of working with 3D modelling or computer animation
• A laptop computer that can handle 3D graphics
• A smartphone
• Ability to speak English fluently

Who should attend?

• Current students of spatial design, architecture, furniture design students
• Recent graduates with a desire to learn more about architecture, media and immersive technology
• Students or recent graduates with an interest in the psychology of spatial experience
• People aged 18 and older