Episode 29: Mirror Worlds - or why the future is Green

Fireside Chats with Empathic Futures Lab

This episode was inspired by Kevin Kelly's MirrorWorld article for Wired. Here is the link: https://www.wired.com/story/mirrorworld-ar-next-big-tech-platform/

Our conversation starts with summing up the article and describing what a Mirror World actually is as an augmented reality future. While doing this, we dig into particular sections of Kelly's writing starting with his ideas of "super vision" - the ability AR might gives us to see the digital insides of every object.

We then discuss what "authenticity" means in a world such as this where we can augment reality - past, present, future melding into one - on top of what "actually" exists. How does this change how we understand "place"? What is "place" in a world where we have a much larger control over how we experience space? Does placemaking no longer necessitate building new buildings and should we then discuss new business models for create places?

What does it look like to design something for the mirror world? Or is it purely a visual overlay? Why pay for architecture if all of the cool stuff is just an overlay?

Then we get to this point in the discussion where we ask if the future of architecture is quite literally "green".

Mirror World article with the mountains and school children that we discuss. http://blog.leapmotion.com/mirrorworlds/

For those of you looking for the Architectural Intelligence book that was referenced a couple times, it is here: https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/architectural-intelligen ce

Instagram photobooth article: https://www.theringer.com/tech/2019/1/23/18193574/instagram-photo-wall-personal-home