There’s Still Life: Exploring the digitalization of everyday objects and their meanings

There’s Still Life explores the significant histories, essences, and characteristics we imbue on physical objects and how they take on new meanings when translated and experienced in digital space. Using existing digital platforms and techniques, a series of (5) objects are curated in an experiential gallery space where they take on new identities, forms and functions amidst the collection. All objects have been volunteered for inclusion in the experiment, by (5) participants from different walks of life, alongside a questionnaire and short description of each individual’s object and its meaning. The physical objects are digitized using 3D scanning app Trino, and ported into New Art City where they are repositioned in a digital space for sharing and preservation. The digital space is publicly accessible through the web-based platform, allowing visitors to explore the collection and create new meanings and associations with the objects as they are viewed in a new, generated context with each other. This process aims to discover the extent to which hybrid and mediated experiences of physical objects help to preserve and share personal histories, and the role of agency and aura for digitally born objects in enabling digital community building amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.