Chiara Bertasini (Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera), Rossetta Preziosa Bocchino (Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera), Luca Carlevarino (Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera), Adriana Ribalcenco (Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera), Francesca Vulpiani (Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera), Michela De Carlo (Supervisor) (Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera)

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Abstract

This paper investigates the formation of hybrid communities starting from a genealogy of the World Wide Web as a social space and a place of emergence of net art. The research introduces theoretical frameworks to support communities by integrating classical concepts such as that of communitas (Victor Turner), going so far as to explain how they have been used to design and describe the social structures of online spaces. We then focus on observing and defining the dynamics that describe virtual communities (vitality, temporariness, and collective identity). The investigation begins with the following research question: how do game dynamics and aesthetic choices guide storytelling and perceptual transformation within a multiplayer environment? To answer this question, the text examines the case study EXON – Delusion of Equilibrium, a multiplayer environment designed by us on the Roblox platform. Through a Research-through-Design (RtD) approach, the videogame is used as an experimental device to apply concepts of ritual and control. Data collection, conducted qualitatively during physical events and online sessions, illustrates how aesthetic transition and cooperative mechanics dictate the game’s identity. The results confirm that EXON acts as a sociological laboratory that fosters observation and the creation of hybrid communities, capable of questioning the boundaries between individuality and collectivity.

 

Part 1 Understanding Community

1.1 Historical overview

Between 1994 and 1999, net.art emerged as a network’s native artistic practice, with personalities like Vuk Ćosić, Alexei Shulgin, Jodi.org, Olia Lialina, and 0100101110101101.org, who explored the web as a democratic and participatory medium.

A mimetic art form that took on the meaning of an online détournement from the very beginning; a subversive and critical use of the tools of the internet, which explored its peculiarities, such as immediacy and immateriality (Greene, 2004).

It should be remembered that as early as the second half of the 1990s, actual “rules” of net.art had been formulated, later known as the movement’s manifesto. The centrality of the rhizomatic approach emerged: it was one of the founding principles of net.art and later favored the birth of platforms and initiatives in which production and distribution coincided. An emblematic example is represented by äda ’web (1994–1998), a pioneering project by Benjamin Weil and conceived as a true experimental laboratory. The platform was structured according to the logic of the network, becoming a territory of discussion and networked sociality, where the notion of belonging was reshaped.

In continuity with the cultural context, the premises of a more fluid and porous democracy were outlined in these virtual squares, influencing many of the subsequent initiatives.

 

1.2 Community: Rituals, Thresholds and Belonging

It is in the context of progressive dematerialization of gathering places that the idea of cyberspace takes shape as a theoretical and symbolic domain. What are communities today?

Definitions tend to simplify the complexity of the concept of community, while still offering a useful starting point for theoretical elaboration. In the sociological field, the term generally refers to a group of individuals united by a sense of solidarity, a shared identity, and forms of social interdependence, supported by transitory bonds of cohesion. This perspective can be combined with the notion of collective effervescence (Durkheim, 1912), according to which group cohesion emerges as a result of the emotional involvement of individuals and the consequent sharing of collective rituals.

Excluding the sociological dimension, anthropology with Victor Turner has provided further tools for understanding the processual properties of communities: the concept of liminality emerges as a state of transition and ambiguity, in which individuals temporarily suspend their social status (Turner, 1969, 1977). This creates communitas, a condition of equality and reciprocity in which ordinary hierarchies are temporarily canceled.

Antistructure and constitutive suspension therefore become both symptoms of change and manifestations of the dynamic process of communities. A similar perspective is highlighted by American sociologist Randall Collins and interaction ritual chains, made up of symbols, shared languages and repeated gestures, which generate emotional energy: they foster cohesion and motivate individuals to maintain participation in the group (Collins, 2004). Cohesion and a sense of belonging to the group emerge most if a combination of ritual ingredients also include bodily co-presence, symbolic barriers towards strangers, mutual caring and the sharing of the same state of mind.

Although community has traditionally been considered an experience rooted in geographical proximity, thanks to the digitalization of social contexts, it has become necessary to extend canonical definitions to online communities. The theoretical framework is further articulated by having to distinguish between real, virtual and imagined communities. If the real communitas is a momentary and situated aggregation, the imagined community (Anderson, 1983) is a symbolic construction in which members perceive themselves as part of the same collective body, even without maintaining direct relations.

In the digital age, such tensions manifest themselves in dematerialized forms of communitas, in which the boundaries between internal and external, as well as between structure and performative event, are continuously negotiated (Simons, 2018). This dynamic, however, becomes fully readable only when placed within the broader historical process. It is not surprising that with the emergence of early Web technologies, the very structure of sociality, based on the availability of access to the Internet, expanded. As sociologists Barry Wellman (2001) and Manuel Castells (1996; 2001) observe, the transformation introduced by digital technologies marks the transition from of group-based societies (Wellman, 2001), to more fluid configurations, typical of network society and “space of flows”¹ (Castells, 1996; 2001). The notion of community enters a phase of redefinition: distributed collectivities take shape, supported by computer-mediated communication practices.

 

1.3 The Establishment of Online Communities

A structured definition describes online communities as “[…] a group of people who come together for a purpose, online, and who are governed by norms and policies and supported by software” (de Souza, Preece, 2004), also identifying weaker, intermittent, or situated interactive configurations in the term. From this perspective, vitality, temporality, and collective identity constitute three fundamental parameters through which to guide theoretical research.

The activity of an internet community is configured as a set of heterogeneous participatory rhythms (scanned by micro-interactions such as comments, posts, micro-events and discursive practices) of which Ilja Simons (2018) demonstrates its cohesion, capable of activating specific patterns between online and offline presence, in order to sustain the vitality of the group over time. Consequently, community survival depends less on uninterrupted member participation and more on the density and intensity of exchanges (Masson, Parmentier, 2023). Communication fuels word-of-mouth intention (Al-Khasawneh et al., 2023), making active intervention a form of performative identity.

The community does not constitute a stable structure but an autopoietic process, which is simultaneously configured as a place of aggregation and as a space of symbolic production. The group negotiates its own norms, updates its references and consolidates the symbolic boundaries that distinguish “inside” from “outside”. The vitality of a community is therefore measured by the degree of participation and the communicative rhythm that sustains its existence. Temporality plays a decisive role in this sense: the way interactions are distributed, concentrated, or thinned out becomes the metric through which the collective’s cohesion, stability, or progressive dispersion can be assessed.

As highlighted by the community psychology scholar, “understanding community” (Cobigo, 2016) is a cognitive-affective phenomenon based on the sharing of values and meanings, rather than on instrumental objectives. Cohesion does not come from the stability of bonds, but from the continuous negotiation of meaning and the perception of reciprocity. As it shows, many digital communities originate from pre-existing collectives that migrate online, while others emerge directly online. These communities founded on digital connectivity produce tangible effects on behavior and social relationships, configuring themselves as “hybrid realities” capable of influencing psychological, social and political dimensions (Oksanen et al., 2024).

To better understand identity progression within online communities, designer and theorist Amy Jo Kim identifies five fundamental categories: visitors (observers), novices (participants), regulars (continuously participating), leaders (group moderators), and finally elders (custodians of norms and collective memory) (Kim, 2006). According to the author, participation is not immediate, but a movement through which each member shifts from a marginal to a central position, as they become familiar with the internal language. In conclusion, online communities can be described as dynamic and liminal spaces, within which the boundaries between individual and collective, real and digital, presence and absence are constantly negotiated. Their function is not simply to gather, but to activate discursive flows, to create circulations. They are not a static form, but a relational medium: an environment that allows the construction of common meanings.

 

1.4 Roblox as a social platform

In light of the theoretical framework outlined in the previous paragraphs, Roblox can be interpreted as an emblematic case of online communities. As a user-generated content digital platform, Roblox allows users to design, share, and inhabit interactive virtual worlds. It is configured as a socio-technical ecosystem in which the playful and social dimensions are deeply intertwined; more precisely, it is composed of a multiplicity of gaming experiences (created by users themselves through Roblox Studio software) and a persistent network of avatar-mediated relationships. Access to the platform involves a thresholding process: the user creates an avatar, chooses a visual identity, enters environments managed by implicit and explicit norms, and participates in the previously analyzed interaction micro-rituals. These practices are forms of interaction ritual chains (Collins), through which shared emotional energy is generated and a sense of belonging is consolidated. Even in the absence of physical co-presence, the reiteration of internal gestures, languages and codes produces temporary communitas configurations, often linked to specific experiences or game groups.

Furthermore, Roblox’s participatory structure highlights the identity journey described by Amy Jo Kim, where advancement is not rigidly hierarchical, but linked to active participation and the ability to contribute to community life.

Lastly, the platform is located in a hybrid dimension: relationships built online can extend beyond the digital context, generating offline meetings, events, and collaborations. Roblox is therefore not just a playful environment, but a social infrastructure that enables the emergence of distributed communities, supported by technologically mediated communication practices and characterized by continuously negotiated symbolic boundaries. Within this framework, our experience of producing EXON – Delusion of Equilibrium fits as a case study located within an ecosystem already predisposed to community formation. The platform constitutes a socio-technical device where it is possible to observe how dynamics of ritualization, belonging, and symbolic production are activated around a shared playful experience, generating forms of aggregation that cross and tension the boundary between online and offline. Therefore, EXON – Delusion of Equilibrium transcends the limits of the definition of a video game product and is configured for us as a Research-through-Design (RtD) device oriented towards the analysis of the dynamics of communitas in digital environments.

 

Part 2  EXON – Delusion of Equilibrium

2.1 Planning and method

This paper examines the concept of designed experience: this expression refers to those forms of experience that are intentionally designed to generate certain cognitive, emotional, or behavioral effects. In the context of studies on digital interfaces and interactive media, various authors have shown how teachers, designers or artists model experiential environments to produce learning, engagement or perceptual transformations depending on the project objectives². In light of previously presented theoretical research on understanding communities and dematerialized forms of communitas (Simons, 2018), it clearly emerges how hybrid digital environments (Oksanen et al., 2024) produce cohesion through the continuous negotiation of meanings and practices. In this sense, EXON – Delusion of Equilibrium is shaped as a liminal space between video game and installation, in which the experience does not aim solely at entertainment, but stimulates critical reflections on community, belonging, ritual, and control.

In support of the idea of integrating complex cultural and social systems within video games, our research group incorporated practices, imaginaries, and social dynamics recognizable to players. Analyzing how and why these elements were implemented into the game is essential, both for understanding player immersion and for observing the relationships between the video game medium and contemporary culture. Ian Bogost, academic and videogame designer, in Persuasive Games. The expressive power of Videogames introduces the concept of Procedural Rhetoric, namely: “The art of persuasion through rule-based representations and interactions, rather than the spoken word, writing, images, or moving pictures” (Bogost, 2007). The player’s attitude is not influenced by language, but by other forms of meaning such as game dynamics.

Speaking of EXON, the community dimension is not a simple “content”, but a device of power and surveillance (Foucault, 1975) that influences the way in which players act, interpret and insert themselves into the game world.

By integrating community elements at the level of rules, narrative, or emerging practices, the case study enhances player engagement and strengthens their sense of belonging. It follows that a game can reflect, rework, or transform shared ideas of contemporary culture, in turn becoming a place of production of new forms of sociality and meaning (Jenkins, 2007; Juul, 2005).

From a phenomenological perspective, community dynamics are made up of norms, shared myths, implicit ethics, participation rituals, collective experiences, and material forms of representation (Taylor, 2009).

In EXON, these theoretical assumptions guide a complex and progressive workflow, which leads from conceptual research and dramaturgy to concept design, three-dimensional development, and gameplay implementation. Each phase, from sound design to multiplayer testing, to the installation design, presents the project also as a methodological approach. It is placed both in continuity with the practices of net.art in which production, distribution and use tended to coincide, and with the notion of digital environment understood as a relational medium, capable of activating participatory practices, rituals and forms of belonging that can be traced back to the dematerialized communitas and liminal processes specific to online communities.

2.1.1 Workflow management

In the first phase, the workflow was organized through collaborative modules aimed at coordinating the group’s activities. The work began with a brainstorming activity, during which visual and textual references were selected to help define the aesthetic and narrative identity of the project. This phase also allowed us to establish a common direction, preventing formal and technical choices from developing disjunctly. From the very beginning, the construction of the narrative universe and that of aesthetics were interspersed; the lore and iconography development was not separated from the visual research, but had the same formal ground choices. The aesthetic configuration of EXON – Delusion of Equilibrium reinforces this coherence: the visual language is based on the simplification of both human and nature to their structural forms. Bodies are not completely biological, natural elements do not appear spontaneous. Roots and cables blur; the emitted light traces linear paths similar to LED circuits; branch-like shapes expand like neural networks and plant organisms.

Starting from this imagery, the workflow developed as a process of progressive translation: from writing to concept, from concept to modeling, from modeling to interaction. Each stage did not replace the previous one, but it tested it. Narrative choices were verified in the spatial setting; spatial solutions, in turn, required textual or symbolic adjustments. Meanwhile, 3D modeling had to maintain consistency with this conceptual structure. The environments were not constructed as simple walkable scenarios, but as spaces that suggested directions, hierarchies, and points of convergence. The geometries within the cult are more controlled and rigid, in fact the branched elements are contained within precise structures, strengthening the idea of an organized and non-spontaneous system. The interface and transparencies also fit this logic: clean surfaces, cool lights, and directional lines help define an optimized environment, where each element appears to respond to a higher order. Sound design, integrated into subsequent phases, further consolidated this perception, building a ritual atmosphere consistent with the visual and spatial dimensions.

2.1.2 Aesthetics as gameplay influence

EXON – Delusion of Equilibrium’s setting displays various elements, at times presenting different aesthetics, reflecting different moments within the narrative. There is a tangible division between the spaces inside the cult and the final one, which the player discovers after finally getting out. The interior environments take a lot of inspiration from cyberpunk aesthetics or hybridizations between nature, man and technology, where however the latter plays a role that prevails over the rest.³

Starting from the novice’s body, none of its characteristics appear to be typically related to a human body. Every organic element, from food, to plants, but also the light that illuminates spaces, has nothing natural in its origin: it reflects an extremely aseptic, clean and ultra-advanced appearance. Inside the cult, nutrition is based on synthesized meals, the body is artificially implemented with techniques similar to those used in cyborg production, and the spiritual element is justified by the presence of a computer god. Standardization in the characterization of avatars follows cultist dynamics, as upon accessing the sect one’s identity is significantly influenced, even going so far as to cancel oneself out. The color palette used in this setting has a strong prevalence of cool colors, often amplified by neon effects that make surfaces shine, occasionally alternating with some shade of yellow, used mainly to bring attention to a specific object. The strong use of transparencies and clean interfaces contributes in giving a futuristic and minimalist appearance to the space. The game’s aesthetic changes rapidly as you exit the cult: you find yourself in the heart of a lush forest, with trees and plants stretching as far as the eye can see, large butterflies fluttering in the sky, and streams crisscrossing the meadow. Technology has not disappeared, but has integrated perfectly with the landscape, contributing to a more idyllic overall vision.

Solar punk features were key references for the development of the final room: the colors are vibrant and the technological objects barely stand out from their organic counterparts.

There is a strong techno-magical component, given by the presence of stones with runic carvings and the not entirely realistic appearance of some natural elements, such as mushrooms that shine an unnatural blue.

We found valuable inspiration from video games like Death Stranding and Horizon Zero Dawn in terms of fusion between technology and nature; for the human-machine implementation it was immediately connected to artists like Marcel-Lì Antúnez Roca, whose research focuses on the dialogue between the body and mechatronic devices.

EXON – Delusion of Equilibrium also builds environments that guide the player towards forms of understanding that are never explicitly stated, but emerge from interaction; it offers a rich but non-didactic context: the player learns by doing, exploring, and reacting, not receiving.

The design of the rooms fully follows the path that the user takes to exit the cult.

 

2.2 Data collection

The data comes from three main sources:

• direct observation during institutional events (Brera Open Day, Brera Open Class, Milano Digital Week);
• immediate detection by filling out a participant form;
• monitoring playtime over months of activity.

Data collection was conducted with a qualitative and exploratory approach, favoring dialogue and sharing participants’ impressions rather than a rigidly structured format. Experience monitoring was based on multiple levels of observation: direct observation during institutional events such as Open Day, Open Class, and Digital Week allowed us to capture spontaneous behaviors and dynamics. The team immediately completed individual forms, including information on age, session duration, outcome, and qualitative notes. Tracking playtime over months allowed observations to be integrated into a broader overall picture, making it possible to analyze both immediate and long-term interactions.

In the form filled during the events (Table 1) it emerges that the participants showed a surprising demographic variety: this is a sign that EXON – Delusion of Equilibrium does not attract a monocultural community, but heterogeneous groups that find in the game a shared form of aesthetic curiosity. Parameters include: age, session duration, reason for discontinuation or completion, main impression, and qualitative observations of the caregiver.

Table 2: Extract of observation sheets for Digital Week from Participant 1 to 10

Participant	Age	Session duration	Outcome	Reason of discontinuation or completion	Main impression	Observer notes
P01	8	28	Completed with assistance	Curiosity and desire to finish everything. Helped by the staff..	“I want to see the forest at the end”	Very enthusiastic, often asks for help, recognizes the Roblox interface.
P02	43	12	Discontinued	Struggling with commands	“I find the technological cult interesting, but I have trouble navigating the space”	He asked about the meaning of the “technological cult”.
P03	20	17	Discontinued	Lack of time	“I enjoyed both the environment and the music”	Interested in technical development rather than gameplay.
P04	10	30	Discontinued	Trouble understanding English (French nationality)	“I wanted to see if I could get out of the walls of all the rooms”	He discovered some bugs that we fixed later.
P05	65	10	Discontinued	Trouble navigating the space. Helped by the staff.	“I liked both the topic and the fact that is a group project”	He observed other players for a long time, then tried briefly.
P06	16	22	Discontinued	Struggling with resolving a task. Helped by the staff.	“I loved the coding”	He asked at length how we split into groups to create the game during the semester.
P07	7	25	Completed with assistance	Helped by parents and staff.	“I liked the fact that it’s a multiplayer game”	Father and son played in pairs, the son helped with commands and the father with reading.
P08	50	14	Discontinued	Mostly interested in the aesthetic.	“I enjoyed both the environment and the colors”	They asked how the environments were made.
P09	22	18	Discontinued	Trouble navigating the space.	“I liked the spiritual aspect of it, it really gives the cult vibes”	She asked if the game also talked about the topic of technological control.
P10	11	27	Completed with assistance	Asked for help mid-gameplay to find out how the game evolved.	“Why do the rooms change color?”	He asked what the game was called so he could play it at home on Roblox.

This data allowed us to distinguish behavioral patterns based on age: children proved to be more exploratory and motivated, adults were more reflective but easily disoriented (Fig. 6).

It was also observed that those who received information about the plot or meaning of the game’s development were more motivated to continue the game, compared to those who did not express a desire to receive an explanation.⁴ Children and young people immediately recognized Roblox’s platform from the interface, and this increased their motivation.

The ages recorded show a prevalence of university students and young adults (18–25 years old), but with sporadic presence of more mature groups (up to 40 years old), who interacted mainly out of interest in the installation and conceptual aspect of the project. On a technical level, the events made it possible to detect bugs and minor malfunctions, faulty collisions and other structural defects. Many of these discoveries were not accidental, but deliberate. Younger participants, in particular, were less interested in dialogue or textual narration, but more involved in space exploration. They pushed against walls, searched for out-of-phase collisions, attempted to jump over the perimeter of rooms or out of windows.

Why are errors fascinating?

In real life, it’s impossible to cross walls. In a digital space, however, the possibility of failure becomes a hypothesis. The player knows that the world is made by code and it can fail, so attempting to cross a border becomes a form of investigation. Looking for a glitch is not simple disobedience, but research: it is an attempt to locate the limit of the system and understand its architecture.

This behavior is not marginal to the research question. If EXON – Delusion of Equilibrium shows a community structured by rules, hierarchies, and ritual synchronization, testing boundaries becomes negotiation of agency. The LED light lines and root-like networks that structure the space visually declare the presence of an underlying system. The player does not inhabit a naturalistic world, but a network. And networks can be mapped, challenged, disrupted.

The experience of Milan Digital Week highlighted how the cooperative structure of the game fosters a group dynamic that reflects the logic of the technological community and shared worship. The circular layout of the stations and the need for collaboration transformed the gameplay into a form of collective ritual: here the physical network of cables and the light from the monitors became part of the narrative itself. The feeling of loneliness in the crowd mirrors the group dynamics observable even within sects: the strong conformist component of the group attempts to erase the individual identity, observable in the impossibility of personalizing one’s avatar. There is a parallel between EXON’s gameplay progression: the user initially tackles the different tasks in groups, but later finds himself leaving the cult alone. In the same way, the player is surrounded by people with whom he is not actively interacting. Researcher Katherine Isbister in How Games Move Us (Isbister, 2016) observes an increase in emotional engagement in active players, compared to passively watching gameplay. Frequent interruptions, due to waiting or the lack of active players, instead underscore the fragility of digital cooperation: the community exists only if kept alive by constant participation.

A significant percentage of sessions were interrupted due to waiting times or lack of partners. Instead of interpreting it as simple abandonment, this reveals a structural truth: the community in EXON – Delusion of Equilibrium is conditioned. It only exists if continuously activated.

Age differences further clarify this dynamic. The younger players showed spatial security, often exploring beyond their intended paths. Their involvement occurred through movement, experimentation and interaction with the limits of space. Adults, on the other hand, often sought explanations before diving. Some hesitated to move for fear of keyboard controls; others preferred to observe. At these times, the game turned into an installation rather than an interactive system.

Not all reactions could be translated in the forms: how to classify a child who teaches his mother how to use the keyboard? How to record a group of teenagers laughing at their inability to move the camera because they had never used Roblox? How to encode the embarrassment of an adult scared by the commands? Some phenomena resist quantification. The most revealing aspect of the experiment may not lie in the completion rates, but in these micro-interactions. Encouragement, imitation, mockery, teaching – all manifestations of community that go beyond numerical registration. During puzzle sequences, nearby players often left the in-game chat and communicated verbally. They spurred each other on, pointed to solutions and explained verbally. Some, however, continued to use digital chat even from neighbors, maintaining the internal logic of the virtual world. This oscillation between digital and physical communication shows how the community adapts to the context and can also be constituted on the basis of mutual knowledge and collaboration (Isbister, 2016). In the same way that in everyday life we learn from the actions and choices of others, in EXON – Delusion of Equilibrium a community connection based on cooperation is formed.

Table 3: Summary of observational data – Milano Digital Week

Indicator	Valore stimato	Osservazioni
Total number of participants	103	High turnout in relation to the limited time (3 hours).
Average age	27	Strong imbalance towards children and adults, with very few young adults.
Kids	48%	Most active and engaged audience.
Young adults	12%	Marginal presence, but they finished the game at least halfway.
Adults	40%	Mainly companions or spectators.
Average gameplay session (minutes)	22	Some players completed, others left due to a lack of teammates.
Completed sessions	37%	Only part of the groups were able to finish the game due to multiplayer constraints.
Discontinued sessions	63%	Main cause: prolonged waiting or language difficulties.
Players that used in-game chat	56%	Almost all children often communicate with other players.
Players that asked for help	41%	High interaction with the staff, especially for puzzles and navigation.
Non-playing observers	24%	Many child-free adults watched only by asking about the plot, but did not play. Adults with children, on the other hand, try the game together.
Average languages spoken	Italian, English, French, Spanish, Chinese.	Significant presence of foreign tourists and visitors.

 

3. Conclusion

The case study of EXON – Delusion of Equilibrium demonstrates how online environments can be built from theoretical frameworks and insights from contemporary visual culture. It also attests that game dynamics and aesthetic choices guide the user’s narrative and perceptual transformation within a multiplayer habitat.

If theoretical assumptions describe today’s communities as realities that influence the social and psychological spheres of their members, EXON confirms itself as a relational ecosystem.

The research described moved through game mechanics, aesthetics, and user perception, concluding that community vitality is related to dynamics of exchange, cooperation, temporality, and persistence.

From the data collected, heterogeneous attendance and interests can be deduced: children (5-10 years old), recognizing the Roblox interface, proved to be the most active and engaged audience, while adults (35-70 years old) expressed their interest in the theoretical starting points, observing the younger players.

In conclusion, the Research-through-Design (RtD) project: EXON – Delusion of Equilibrium, has transformed the online experience into a collective performance based on a sense of belonging, demonstrating how a digital platform can activate forms of community potentially transferable from one social space to another.

The aim of this contribution is thus answered by observing practices, exchanges, and micro-aggregations that, although born online, have demonstrated the ability to extend beyond the screen, inhabiting reality and configuring EXON as a generative device for hybrid communities.

 

End notes

1. Space of flows, according to Castells, indicates a form of social organization based on digital flows of information, people, and capital, which contrasts with space of places, based on physical proximity.

2. James Paul Gee, What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy, Palgrave Macmillan, 2003, pp 49–50.

3. A crucial role in the aesthetic influence was the fiction of Gibson, Dick and Adams for the cyberpunk culture and cybernetic gaze of the ’80s. Other dominant influences have been Braidotti and Haraway’s posthuman and cyborg philosophies, as an ideology of a hybrid coexistence between bodies in the world (Braidotti, 2004; Haraway 1985).

 

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Authors’ Info

Chiara Bertasini, Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera
chiarabertasini@fadbrera.edu.it

Rossetta Preziosa Bocchino, Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera
rossettapreziosabocchino@fadbrera.edu.it

Luca Carlevarino, Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera
lucacarlevarino@fadbrera.edu.it

Adriana Ribalcenco, Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera
adrianaribalcenco@fadbrera.edu.it

Francesca Vulpiani, Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera
francescavulpiani@fadbrera.edu.it

Supervisor
Michela De Carlo, Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera
micheladecarlo@fadbrera.edu.it

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.