Virtual interventions have become permanently embedded in our spaces, and play a major role not only in how a space is constituted but also in how our bodies exist in, encounter, and co-constitute space. Physical space and virtual networks are inextricably intertwined today, such that a space is never purely physical. With smart home devices and AI chatbots inundating our homes, our journeys guided by the disembodied voice of Google Maps, our activities monitored by security cameras, and our imagination filled with flashing images on the screens—the blurring of the divide between the real and virtual has rendered space as something inherently layered, complex, and multidimensional which challenges its traditional phenomenological conception. The prolific infusion of technology as well as artificial intelligence further builds upon this through possibilities of enhancing cognitive abilities as well as altering and extending our spatial experiences. The fluid interaction between mutating bodies and technology, disconnecting and reconnecting through virtual networks within cyberspace, not only dissolves the binaries of physical and virtual but also reveals their ability to surpass the physical limitations of the phenomenal world.
Virtual and augmented realities have permeated our everyday lives to an extent where most human actions and interactions require to be initiated and mediated through them. Human consciousness extends/shifts to virtual spaces such as social media and mobile applications, which actively construct how humans interact with spaces as well as within spaces. The proliferation of smart cities adorned with QR codes, e-planning of urban landscapes, and digital workforces are hybrid spaces that exist in both material and virtual dimensions. VR and digital technologies, in their attempt to create a seamless experience, try to incorporate the physical and the virtual in the same realm, building upon the corporeal experience even as they surpass the limits of what is possible in the physical realm. Such technologies have made leaps in medical sciences and therapy, with their ability to place the body in virtually curated spaces, but our corporeal existence also hinders the virtual experience, as it begets physical disorientation, elevated stress levels, and eye strain, creating a jarring experience. This raises questions as to how our corporeality is mediated, navigated, and constructed by such virtual technologies; how is the body placed in such mediated spaces; how is it perceived in the virtual world?
This Issue aims to explore how our understanding and conception of Space alters as Virtual technologies get embedded into our lived realms.
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