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Este artículo aborda críticamente la relación entre experiencia inmersiva y progreso técnico/tecnológico, mediante un análisis estético-cultural de los imaginarios de la modernidad y el pasado pre-industrial, en el contexto de los archivos etnográficos y museos de folklore, la objetología y el ornamento tradicional/artesano, cuyas formas de enunciación y exhibición se fundan, de manera sui generis, a partir de estrategias inmersivas y desbordantes, pese a su prurito de antimodernidad. En el marco del hispanismo anglosajón de finales del XIX, y específicamente e través de la presentación panorámica del singular –y desconocido en el contexto académico español– museo etnográfico fundado por Henry Chapman Mercer a comienzos del siglo veinte en Doylestown (Pennsylvania), se propone una reflexión en torno a la naturaleza inmersiva de los archivos de las culturas populares tradicionales y su valor crítico en el presente, abordando la emergencia de experiencias inmersivas tecnomodernas que operarían en nuestra época como una compensación frente a la devaluación de la experiencia material y social. In this article, we critically discuss the relationship between immersive experience and technical/technological progress. To do so, we perform an aesthetic-cultural analysis of the imaginaries of Modernity and the uses of the pre-industrial past in the context of ethnographic archives and folklore museums, traditional handcraft objectology and ornament. Their forms of enunciation and exhibition are based, in a sui generis way, on immersive and overflowing strategies, despite their air of antimodernity. The framework of the present study was the Anglo-Saxon Hispanism at the end of the nineteenth century, and specifically the panoramic exhibition of the stunning – yet unknown in Spanish Academia – ethnographic museum founded by Henry Chapman Mercer at the beginning of the twentieth century in Doylestown (Pennsylvania). In this context, we reflect on the immersive nature of traditional popular cultures and their critical value in the present, which acts as a sort of social compensation in the face of the devaluation of material and social experience.

This article proposes to shift the scholarly focus from the conceptually, terminologically, and methodologically fuzzy notion of “immersion” to the concept of “immersivity,” and thus from a discussion of experiences to an analysis of the productive forces that enable such experiences (aesthetic and otherwise). Using case studies from theme parks, film, and immersive theatre to video games and immersive educational spaces, we argue that immersivity is a distinct term that denotes an inherent quality of objects in general and of mediated, delineated, real and virtual spaces in particular. We assume that in all of these examples, spatial qualities and modes interact in particular ways to facilitate immersion. Elucidating these interactions requires discussing examples from different disciplinary contexts. It is precisely through this interdisciplinary approach that we take a first step towards understanding immersivity, as we pinpoint cross-disciplinary congruences wherever possible. The article thus offers the starting point for a transdisciplinary, qualitative, experimental, and analytical model of immersivity. Following a theoretical introduction to the topic of immersion, we will first conceptualize our interdisciplinary understanding of immersion and immersivity and then launch into a transdisciplinary dialogue about examples of immersive spaces. L’objectif de cet article est de réorienter l’intérêt scientifique sur la notion floue « d’immersion » vers le concept « d’immersivité », et donc de passer de l’analyse des expériences-mêmes à une analyse des efforts et circonstances de production de telles expériences (esthétiques et autres). À partir des analyses de cas sur les parcs d’attractions, les films et le théâtre immersif, les jeux vidéo et les espaces éducatifs immersifs, nous faisons le constat que « l’immersivité » est un terme distinct qui désigne une qualité inhérente aux objets en général et aux espaces médiatisés, délimités, réels et virtuels en particulier. Nous assumons que dans tous ces exemples, les qualités et les modes spatiaux interagissent à chaque fois de façon particulière pour faciliter l’immersion. Afin de comprendre et d’élucider ces exemples, il nous semble nécessaire de discuter et relayer des exemples issus de contextes disciplinaires différentes. C’est notamment par cette approche interdisciplinaire que nous comptons faire les premiers pas vers une compréhension de « l’immersivité » en identifiant les croisements et congruences interdisciplinaires à chaque point où cela semble possible. Cet article a donc pour but de poser les fondements d’un modèle transdisciplinaire, qualitatif, expérimental et analytique de l’immersivité. Après une introduction théorique sur le terme de l’immersion, nous développons d’abord notre compréhension interdisciplinaire de l’immersion et de l’immersivité, puis nous lancerons un dialogue transdisciplinaire sur des exemples d’espaces immersifs.

This paper presents the lessons learned from a design workshop exploring methods for early exploration of immersive information spaces, such as Virtual Reality (VR). The methods explored cover design situations both designing for VR, and designing through VR, in varying degrees of fidelity. The workshops shared the common factor of attempting to enable a feedback loop between sketching activities and the more didactic and time consuming prototyping processes. From our analysis, we found that to achieve true ‘sketchiness’ in an immersive VR settings, tool proficiency naturally becomes a decisive factor, since a lot of new techniques needs to be learned and gained experience with. Furthermore, it is evident that the mental shift, from flat to 360 degree design, was challenging, but also the enabler of new creative constraints from which the designer can explore the boundaries of the design space. We conclude by arguing for the development of more formalized patterns, materials and tools to not just enable immersive sketching, but also enable grasping the immersive design space itself by motivating the explorations and happy accidents when ‘doodling’ in the immersive space.

Funding: SurfNet (NSERC, Canada), EPSRC (Small Equipment Grant). As display environments become larger and more diverse - now often encompassing multiple walls and room surfaces - it is becoming more common that users must find and manipulate digital artifacts not directly in front of them. There is little understanding, however, about what techniques and devices are best for carrying out basic operations above, behind, or to the side of the user. We conducted an empirical study comparing two main techniques that are suitable for full-coverage display environments: mouse-based pointing, and ray-cast `laser' pointing. Participants completed search and pointing tasks on the walls and ceiling, and we measured completion time, path lengths and perceived effort. Our study showed a strong interaction between performance and target location: when the target position was not known a priori the mouse was fastest for targets on the front wall, but ray-casting was faster for targets behind the user. Our findings provide new empirical evidence that can help designers choose pointing techniques for full-coverage spaces. Postprint

This paper aims to tell a crucial experience in the field of research and innovation for the communication of knowledge through advanced technologies, with the aid of new methodological forms contributing to a progressive cultural advancement of society, thanks to easier access to knowledge and understanding, assisted by historical research about territory, city, and architecture. Here we present the outcomes of an enhancement project of Torre Maggiore of Villa Rufolo in Ravello, with the purpose of an immersive-reconstructive journey, made through the construction of a steel staircase that can accommodate simultaneously the technological systems, the finds of the villa collection, and lead visitors to the panoramic terrace at the top of the monument.

Virtual reality is a technology with applications in numerous fields (medical, automotive, etc.). This thesis focuses on immersive virtual spaces, and aims at studying the effects of the two major types of interfaces proposed (6 degree of freedom flystick, and finger-tracking system) on the user experience, and specifically for 3D object manipulation. We are interested in parameters such as ease of use, sense of presence, speed and precision offered. To do so, we design experiments to evaluate these parameters via tasks with measurable success, and which are not field specific.In a first experiment, we study complex general purpose tasks, combining skills required in everyday manipulations, such as grabbing, releasing, translating, rotating, and balancing objects while walking. We then refine our study by observing the effects of those interfaces on the movements themselves, by decomposing them into individual and grouped degrees of freedom. Lastly, we evaluate the applicability of our direct manipulation system in the context of a preliminary study on the use of virtual reality for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. These studies analyze the properties of these interfaces to provide guidelines to the choice of the most appropriate interface for future experiments.; La réalité virtuelle est une technologie qui voit ses applications s’étendre à de nombreux domaines (médical, automobile, etc.). Cette thèse se place dans le contexte des espaces virtuels complètement immersifs, et a pour but d’étudier les effets des deux principaux types d’interfaces proposés (manette avec 6 degrés de liberté, et système de suivi de doigts) sur l’expérience des utilisateurs, dans le cadre de la manipulation d’objets 3D. Nous nous intéressons à des paramètres tels que la facilité d’utilisation, la sensation d’immersion, la rapidité et la précision offertes... Pour cela, nous proposons des expériences évaluant ces paramètres à travers des tâches dont le succès est mesurable, et qui ne sont pas spécifiques à un domaine. Dans une première étude, nous nous intéressons aux tâches complexes d’ordre général, faisant appel à des compétences requises dans les manipulations quotidiennes, telles que le fait d’attraper, de relâcher, de translater, de tourner et de maintenir en équilibre des objets tout en se déplaçant. Nous affinons ensuite notre étude en observant les effets de ces interfaces sur les mouvements eux-mêmes, en les décomposant en degrés de liberté individuels et groupés. Enfin, nous testons l’applicabilité de notre système de manipulation directe dans le cadre d’une étude préliminaire sur l’utilisation de la réalité virtuelle pour le traitement de la maladie d’Alzheimer. Ces études analysent les propriétés de ces interfaces dans le but de fournir des indications aidant au choix de l’interface la plus appropriée pour des applications futures.

This thesis explores The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and the motivations for creating fictive, immersive environments. These can be defined as spaces that generate new physical environments or worlds that engage our senses. The theme park is the experiential space where entertainment, fantasy, and commodity consumption come together. By including recognizable objects, narratives, characters, and the like, taken directly from the Harry Potter books and films, audiences and participants are brought into The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in a way that immerses them in the space and allows them to experience the narrative by participating in a journey similar to that of the popular fictive hero, Harry Potter.