Hyperland: 1990 fantasy documentary speculating about the future of interactive media
"In this one-hour documentary produced by the BBC in 1990, Douglas falls asleep in front of a television and dreams about future time when he may be allowed to play a more active role in the information he chooses to digest. A software agent, Tom (played by Tom Baker), guides Douglas around a multimedia information landscape, examining (then) cuttting-edge research by the SF Multimedia Lab and NASA Ames research center, and encountering hypermedia visionaries such as Vannevar Bush and Ted Nelson. Looking back now, it's interesting to see how much he got right and how much he didn't: these days, no one's heard of the SF Multimedia Lab, and his super-high-tech portrayal of VR in 2005 could be outdone by a modern PC with a 3D card. However, these are just minor niggles when you consider how much more popular the technologies in question have become than anyone could have predicted - for while Douglas was creating Hyperland, a student at CERN in Switzerland was working on a little hypertext project he called the World Wide Web..."
(douglasadams.com)
Adams, D. N. (1990). Hyperland. UK, BBC Two: 50 minutes.
CONTRIBUTOR
Simon PerkinsSHARE
The Museum As An Intercultural Site
Interaction between different cultures has occurred throughout the history of humanity. When viewed in the context of human rights conflicts that continue to occur, intercultural dialogue is arguably a key approach to further promoting cultural respect and understanding. Many museums are incorporating intercultural strategies, and virtual heritage technologies provide new sites and potentials for generating intercultural dialogue. This paper will examine the interactive relationship between museums and visitors, particularly in the Australian Indigenous cultural heritage context. A main concern of this study is the reconceptualisation of museums as sites for intercultural exchange. Based on this idea, a theoretical framework will be proposed for an 'Intercultural Site' that sets up a two-way exchange between the museum space and body. This concept will then be extended by proposing the interfacing of virtual environments and the body as a continuation of the Intercultural Site. Examined are theories surrounding the role of dialogue in generating intercultural exchange, application of spatial theories towards constructing meaningful cultural experiences and recommendations for constructing (virtual) interactive exhibitions. This study forms the basis of research into best practice in virtual heritage exhibitions. The research is specifically produced for stage one in the Australasian CRC for Interaction Design's (ACID) Digital Songlines supervised by Program Manager, James Hills and Indigenous consultant/multimedia designer, Brett Leavy. Digital Songlines will be a digital reconstruction of significant Indigenous spaces within Australia.
CONTRIBUTOR
Mia ThorntonSHARE
The Dialogic Site: Interculturalism In The Museum
"Over the past decade, notions of the "virtual" museum have arisen within the virtual heritage landscape. The intersection of new museology perspectives with interactive technologies has altered cultural heritage representations and interactions between the museum and visitor. This paper will examine the two-way relationship that can exist between virtual environments and the body within museums, particularly within the Australian Indigenous cultural heritage context. In responding to the conference theme Hybrid Realities: Digital Partners, this study focuses on the intersections between five elements pertaining to the field of virtual heritage: museums - intercultural dialogue - virtual environments - body - indigenous cultural heritage. A main concern of this study is the reconceptualization of museums as sites for intercultural exchange. Based on this idea, a theoretical framework will be proposed for a "dialogic site" that sets up a two-way exchange between the body and museum space. This concept will then be extended by proposing the interfacing of virtual environments and the body as a continuation of the dialogic site. Examined are theories surrounding the new museology, the role of dialogue in generating an intercultural exchange, and application of spatial theories towards constructing meaningful cultural experiences.This study forms the basis of research into best practice in virtual heritage interactive exhibitions. The research is specifically produced for stage one in Australasian CRC for Interaction Design's (ACID) Digital Songlines supervised by Program Manager, James Hills and Indigenous consultant/multimedia designer, Brett Leavy. Digital Songlines will be a digital reconstruction of significant Aboriginal spaces within Australia."
(Mia Thornton, 2005)
CONTRIBUTOR
Mia ThorntonSHARE
