Cyberspace as a memory container

Abstract

Space is a container for memory. This metaphor is built upon the observation that the human mind can easily acquire spatial information without much deliberation. Moreover, non-spatial information can be better retrieved when associated with a spatial memory. The mnemonic function of space has been explored since ancient Greek and Roman times. The method of loci uses imaginary space and its spatial continuity to encode information and its sequence. Physical space, such as museum, was also used as cognitive device to enforce knowledge structures and for future information retrieval. The science of spatial cognition demonstrates how human perception is tuned to the features of the environment. In the digital age, representation of information in visual space shifted from mirroring the real world to triggering experience symbolically. What should virtual space permit and deny in parallel to the real world? Symbolic systems can be capable of eliciting the rich virtual experience from the mind's myriad depths, with even more leverage compared to representing objects in mechanical context. Given space's mnemonic function and cyberspace's rich potential, this thesis explores the design of virtual space for projecting, retrieving, and composing memory. The project propose different spatial design schemes to experiment with and understand the possible relations between virtual space and memory.