Reflection
In my undergraduate studies I was highly interested in the Ideas and Processes of Mimesis, Simulation, Augmentation and Virtualization as they apply to an Artistic, Architectural (or Spatial) and Technological Context.
Mimesis
By Mimesis I mean the nearly “illusionistic”, (re)presentation of the visual appearance of a thing, or things. Mimesis, to me, is linked most closely to the process of describing the perceptual experience of the observed, through a highly personal or subjective filter — one which is re-produced through the use of an artistic or technological medium that simultaneously imitates and re-creates this experience.
Simulation
By Simulation I mean a slightly different mechanism, whereby Art, and sometimes Technology, are used to (re)create the Objective perceptual experience of the Observer, as well as that which is being Observed, to evoke a “Real” or “Universal” affect on the perceiver. Simulation questions the reality of such representation — while often imitating the operation of a real-world process or system, over time.
Augmentation
Augmentation refers to an extension of perception, usually through enhancing and/or supplementing the perceptual experience of the objective world with additional information, often via a piece of Technology producing an added layer of information.
Virtualization
Virtualization, in my conception and application of the word, is the complete transformation of an event, thing, or experience of the “Real”, into a Metaphysical or Virtual event, thing, or experience, which may or may not include Mimetic, Simulative or Augmentative qualities or properties.