The cross-over between the digital and the physical is being increasingly addressed in design disciplines, architecture, arts and urban studies. Artists and designers increasingly make use of hard data to interpret the world and/or create meaningful and sensuous environments. Architects attempt to measure neurophysiological data to understand better the human experience in spaces. Designers script parametric processes to translate data into responsive, meaningful and/or aesthetically intriguing installations. Scientists and architects/ artists/ designers collaborate to visualise data in new and creative ways so as to trigger and reveal further connections, interpretations and readings. Practices such as the above attempt to break-down the dichotomy between data and the sensuous. They translate elusive, ephemeral and intangible aspects of a place into solid data. In other instances the solid data are interpreted and represented in a ways so as to be perceived and experienced by the different senses.
In this context, methods and conceptual frameworks of different disciplines need to engage in a dialogue; and through these cross-disciplinary practices new strategies and processes emerge. This conference focuses on such collaborative projects where methods from more than one discipline are involved. This conference also addresses how collaborators from different disciplines can work together to deal with current design/ social issues. Through workshops and discussion sessions, this conference will also examine how through such collaborations research and practice informs and drives one another.

Key-themes:

1. Architecture and Neuroscience/ Neurophysiology: We welcome contributions which emerge from the collaboration between architects and neuroscientists. How does the mapping of the brain response help designers gain a better understanding of human experience in spaces? We also welcome contributions which emerge from collaboration between Architecture and Psychology or Architecture and Health Sciences. Practicing architects, urban planners and designers are most welcome to reflect on how collaborative projects can drive both practice and research forward. Could the mapping of the human experience in certain environments (through new technologies and methods) inform a practice that designs a public space? Could a practice - that designs i.e. a new housing scheme - raise certain questions about human experience in everyday spaces, which would inform the hypothesis of a research project?

2. Digital and Physical - From Data to Aesthetics/ From Data to Experience: We invite contributions which address the use of data to analyse, understand and represent the dynamics of urban spaces. Contributors from practices are invited to discuss what types of relevant research projects would be most valuable for their design projects. We also invite contributions which discuss the use of solid data to produce engaging and immersive representations or experiences.

3. Cross-disciplinary networks: We invite participants who are keen to develop collaborations between researchers and practitioners from the design and building industries. We invite researchers who intend to discuss their projects with practitioners and test or implement them through a live project. We invite professionals from relevant industries who are keen to collaborate with researchers and develop with them research projects which will have a clear impact on the design project that they are currently developing.