In today’s interconnected digital world, bodily experience is increasingly excluded, overshadowed by the demands of virtual interaction. Technology simplifies physical effort, reducing interactions to taps and swipes. Connection is instant, yet more detached from our bodies. As we immerse ourselves in digital spaces, which body is carried on, which body is left behind?
Amid increasing urbanization and digital connectivity, Personal Bubble revisits the concept of personal space—a fluid, perceivable space that shifts as we interact with people and environments. This research re-evaluates its physical presence and explores its extension into the digital realm. In digital spaces, the Personal Bubble manifests as comfort zones shaped by algorithm-driven environments that filter and present information to us. These Bubbles function as interfaces where humans connect with technology and each other, bridging physical and digital realms. The project explores the boundaries between private and public spaces, and the impact of digitalization on human interaction.
Drawing on theories such as Walter Benjamin’s poverty of experience (loss of depth in modern interactions) and Merleau-Ponty’s flesh (body as the foundation of experience), it examines what is filtered out in digital life and how the body remains vital in shaping perception. Through artistic and design-based experimentation, the project seeks to reconnect digital interactions with bodily sensations, culminating in an experiential installation that makes tangible the intersection of physical and digital space.
