Imaginary subjects in architecture - the cyberspace-dilemma of architectonic space

This research deals with the transformation taking place in our spatio-temporal existence generated by the emergence of cyberspace as an integral part of the production of social and cultural order. The way in which virtual and corporeal reality influence each other is to be investigated, as well as the resulting implications for subject and space. The import of these influences is studied examining the forms of representation present in our visual culture. The main focus of these reflections will be on architecture, as the medium that most strongly adheres to the spatial and temporal dimensions of corporeal reality but at the same time takes a keen interest in the endeavour to gain a foothold in the dimensions of the virtual. The present changes in spatial. conceptions in architecture and the advent of virtual spaces in architectural practice are expected to give a clue as to the current systems dynamics of the representation and construction of spatial components of identity. In a psychoanalytical approach, the research examines the consequences, regarding the formation of identities, of the virtualisation and globalisation of our geographic and technological spheres of development. The relations between these novel virtual spaces and the inner space of individual imagination are to be analysed in this context.