VIRTUAL: Livable Cities – New York

Abstract

The rise of digital technology usage in festival landscapes is undoubtedly altering the characteristics of physical and virtual space. The interplay between the spatial elements and digital features causes a shift in the space-making paradigm, and as a result formulates a homogenous visual of a new dimensional space (Kirsch, 1995; Salinas, 2014a). In that, the questions arises: how can physical and digital social spaces interact synchronously? How can we begin to visualise and dwell within said space? What does the intersection between physical elements, digital features and socio-cultural norms look like? While festival spaces are an integral theoretical concept in various research fields (Stevens and Shin, 2012), the influence of digitalisation and societal norms have resulted to festival spaces no longer being described merely as a physical construct. Work conducted by Ciolfi (2004), Benedikt (1992), Dyson (1998) and others, have argued that physical and digital models do not seamlessly interlock with one another. However, owing to festivals spaces’ unique characteristics, it’s socio-cultural connotations, and the use of social media within them, suggests otherwise. Based on this insight, the proposed presentation suggests how both dimensions of space and its inhabitants can coexist and interact within a multi-facetted environment. Additionally, it provides an agenda for further research on the production of hybrid festival space, revealing that the relationships between all three aspects (physical, digital and socio-cultural) lead to what we call “phygital space.” Building upon Henri Lefebvre’s triad of space, the findings from this qualitative and quantitative study proposes a framework for understanding and visualising the production of new temporary phygital space. In an attempt to depict the contemporary interactions of festival goers’ usage of digital media, new notions of space and culture emerge as the forefront of such communication. In that, it suggests