Doctoral defence: Alec Richard Kozicki "The De-sign Process of Inhabiting Techno-Living Spaces"

On 16 March at 14:15, Alec Richard Kozicki will defend his doctoral thesis "The De-sign Process of Inhabiting Techno-Living Spaces" for obtaining the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (in Semiotics and Culture Studies).

Supervisor:
Professor Kalevi Kull, University of Tartu

Opponent:
Professor Emeritus Farouk Y. Seif, Antioch University Seattle (United States)

Summary

This thesis introduces the concept of “techno-living spaces” to examine the semiotic relations of technologies within spaces inhabited by humans. For consumers of household technologies, there seems to be a rapid rate of novel digital artefacts or smart devices designed to benefit daily actions one way or another. But how do the technologies for living spaces enrich the process of inhabitants co-developing within the living space and with the environment surrounding the living space? The research models “techno-living spaces” as a type of built environment filled with technological resources that inhabitants can discover opportunities to develop pursuits of learning, creativity, and imagination. Keeping these three pursuits in mind, Farouk Seif’s “De-sign” is a central concept used to navigate the qualitative, semiotic relations that are materialised in household technologies by inhabitants co-developing with “techno-living spaces”.

The research outcomes are intended to not only be relevant for scholars, but to introduce a semiotic toolbox of applicable concepts for designers and users in co-development processes. The semiotic toolbox is a set of resources to orient semiotic relations and design activities that individuals, as designers and/or inhabitants, can utilise within each unique “techno-living space”. The semiotic toolbox has a foundation of Jakob von Uexküll’s umwelt theory, and incorporates Kalevi Kull’s semiotic ecology, Cary Campbell et al.’s semiotic components, and Augustine Berque’s applicability of milieu. Various types of technologies in living spaces are analysed to examine the role of the semiotic toolbox regarding inhabitants co-developing with “techno-living spaces”. Some examples discussed in this thesis include the interrelation of semiotic components in smart home systems, being immersed within virtual reality while in a living space, and using artefacts considered as waste to construct a type of living space called Earthships.

The defence can also be followed via Zoom (meeting ID: 913 9875 9823, passcode: 316120).