Abstracts

Space is a container for memory. This metaphor isbuilt upon the observation that the human mind can easily acquirespatial information without much deliberation. Moreover,non-spatial information can be better retrieved when associatedwith a spatial memory. The mnemonic function of space has beenexplored since ancient Greek and Roman times. The method of lociuses imaginary space and its spatial continuity to encodeinformation and its sequence. Physical space, such as museum, wasalso used as cognitive device to enforce knowledge structures andfor future information retrieval. The science of spatial cognitiondemonstrates how human perception is tuned to the features of theenvironment. In the digital age, representation of information invisual space shifted from mirroring the real world to triggeringexperience symbolically. What should virtual space permit and denyin parallel to the real world? Symbolic systems can be capable ofeliciting the rich virtual experience from the mind's myriaddepths, with even more leverage compared to representing objects inmechanical context. Given space's mnemonic function andcyberspace's rich potential, this thesis explores the design ofvirtual space for projecting, retrieving, and composing memory. Theproject propose different spatial design schemes to experiment withand understand the possible relations between virtual space andmemory.Advisors/Committee Members: Takehiko Nagakura (advisor).