Jena Cummiskey BFA Thesis Spring 2012

Virtual Object, Physical Interaction, Physical Object, Virtual Interaction: Balancing the Antagonism

This balanced antagonism, between human and machine, exists as a gap between our physical and technological modes of interaction. As the digital age permeates every aspect of our culture, we are confronted by the overall lack of physical interaction with our contemporary cultural objects. Newer technologies rely mainly on referencing our virtual life in order to generate meaning. As we continue developing these technologies, we are in essence promoting this dissonance between our culture and our technology; creating a virtual life that references the culture and physicality it seeks to replace. This is done through the interaction with, creation of, and cultural use of our interfaces. To resolve the unbalanced antagonism between our virtual and physical lives requires a symbiosis by utilizing aspects of both to develop cultural objects and interactions that could not exist without both our physicality and our virtual life.

99 albums

Spring 2012