record – LABS

Thesis Info

URL where full thesis can be found: leilykhatibi.com/LEILYKHATIBI_THESISFINALDRAFT_compressed.pdf

Abstract: 200-500 words: Reflecting on the history of my own life and growing up with a digital divide, I looked into previous works where I addressed the algorithmic bias. These preliminary experiments lead to my current work focusing on a bio-digital divide and the anthropocentric bias. My multimedia thesis project, titled Interconnecting with the Wood Wide Web, questions how humans can better integrate technology with biological systems to form a symbiotic relationship with the environment. This thesis proposes an exploration of using Augmented Reality to tackle global issues such as the digital divide and ecological crisis. I utilize notions of Design Fiction and Moist Media to form a theoretical framework for bridging three constructed areas of the digital divide. My research-based approach emphasizes the geopolitical and social inequity division, the hybrid spaces in between the digital/virtual and physical/real worlds, and the disconnection of virtual and vegetal domains. This future-facing and speculative series of works, which constitutes two interactive exhibitions and multiple workshops, provides a platform for participants to collectively tell stories and envision a sustainable future by merging the technosphere and the biosphere. Further, I plan to contribute to the advancing field of Extended Reality, as a lens to restore our bond with nature.