Information technologies and new media are radically changing the way people interact with one another in public and private space. The figure of the cyborg is no longer science fiction: biotechnologies and genetic engineering are blurring the line between human and machine. How will architects harness these and other technological innovations that enhance sensory perception to craft immersive environments that allow human bodies to traffic between virtual and actual space? This seminar explores the transformative impact of the digital revolution on architecture and the human senses. After exploring these contemporary developments through the lens of history and considering how the advent of audiovisual devices—from the camera obscura to the iPhone—have altered the design of the built environment and our sensory experience of space, the course speculates about the future. Topics include the symbiotic relationship between optics and the development of the camera obscura, the panorama, and the panopticon; the impact of cinema and television on the modernist window; the impact of plumbing and climate control on domestic hygiene; the birth of modern acoustics as a response to metropolitan noise; the influence of listening devices on the modern workplace; the impact of two generations of digital devices—desktop computers and mobile handheld devices—on human interaction in public and private space; and bionics, remote sensation, and the Internet of Things.
