Abstract

Cross-examined by Artur Matuck & Gregg Garvey

For the past eight years, since the first symposium on Cyberspace in Austin, issues relating to informational structure in a fluid environment such as online spaces have been discussed. One outcome seems to come from this discussion. In this presentation, the author wishes to look at these issues on the level of the user from the standpoint that the architecture of cyberspace is a locale in which humans must reside and interact with their environment. In this local study, we will look at the ergonomics of virtual spaces from standpoints of contemporary and ancient traditions. It is my intention to take a broad look at these issues, looking at contemporary models of interactivity and interface structure, design precursors such as the Bauhaus, and ancient disciplines such as Feng Shui, the Chinese art of creating spaces optimally configured for human habitation. In this way, the author hopes that when examined from these disparate sites of engagement, we can gain insights in how the human organism interacts with virtual spaces and how we can build cyberspaces that are more attuned to human habitation.

• Patrick Lichty, US, is a multi-media artist and visual designer of over 15 years who concerns himself with the issues of the aesthetics of technological media and the impact of technology on the self, society and culture. He works in diverse technological media, including print-making, kinetics, video, generative music, and neon. Exhibitions include the New York Digital Salon, the Digital Atelier at the National Gallery of American Art, and the Wuehead Virtual Media Gallery. As a scholar, his written and visual work in social theory and cybernetic culture is published widely in academic journals & print media, including Sociological Spectrum, and CTHEORY, most recently featured in Best & Kellner’s book, The Postmodern Turn. He has presented extensively on the arts, culture, and information age society at numerous venues, induding the Popular Culture Assiciation, ISEA, and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Lichty is a creative partner in the Engram Media Group, a multime-dia consulting firm, serving Fortune 500 companies including IBM, Andersen Consulting, and Unisys.