“WHAT DO YOU SEE:” AN EXPLORATION INTO THE WORLD OF PHYGITALITY

Virtual Fashion by Linxi Zhu

EDITORIAL BY MICOL BIONDI

WORDS BY MARTA FALUGIANI

PHOTOGRAPHER: FILIPPO DICOMANI

JUNE 8TH, 2020

Phygital is a neologism obtained from the union of the worlds of "physical" and "digital." The aim of this word is to describe the universe wherein physical and virtual realities coexist. The challenge is to take the best from these two worlds and stimulate a generative and poetic dialogue. "What Do You See?" This can be interpreted as a provocative question arising from the collision of two different worlds. The question is directly posed to the readers in order to launch them into discussion and lead them to reflect on the multiplicity of perspectives through which one might look at our reality. "Reality," nowadays, is a complex theme; divided between physical and virtual, live and remote, off-line and online. In the post-pandemic era, we are experiencing an unprecedented virtual acceleration that leads us to ask: what is reality? Or, is there even such a thing? Reality is widely perceived as divided by many, particularly by non-digital natives; in comparison, digital natives do not differentiate between an offline and an online worlds as rigidly as previous generations. In fact, the perception of contemporary reality is no longer so “dualistic,” and the two distinct interpretations of reality are becoming increasingly closer and more aligned. 

Virtual Fashion by Diane Wallinger

In the Phygital world, our daily interactions and experiences pass-through spaces, desktops, and screens with great fluidity. Such passages implicate a process of enhancement of the experience in virtual reality as much as in the physical one. Such hybrid and revolutionary spaces, moreover, enrich the user’s experience by offering several perspectives, which rethink portals and services. User’s points of view are no longer planned as merely “passive”, perspectives. Today, consumers are increasingly involved in taking part in the phygital experience, with the opportunity to discover new conventions and to break down the 'fourth wall' by entering a space that is both “real” and “unreal” at the same time. 

Virtual and physical, real and unreal, is where we are now, and the future is a question mark. One wonders if the gaming between AR and VR in which we are positioning ourselves will make us lose our values, our emotionality, our attachment to objects. Can digitalization also eliminate nostalgia? Or will emotion and sentiment be the glue for our new “reality 4.0?” In the project, the sentimental value of the past is represented by the space that houses the project. "Il Teatro Segreto " is not just a location but a live space with a distinct story in its every nook and cranny. An eloquent set design, an inspiration, an unconventional and unique space. We had the chance to know this space better through a conversation with Alessandro Riccio, actor, director, and owner of the Teatro Segreto…

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