Networked Public Spaces: An Investigation into Virtual Embodiment is an exploration of issues surrounding networked public spaces in relation to three artworks created by the author between 1995 to 2000: Virtual Concrete, (1995); Bodies© Incorporated (1996-2000); and Datamining Bodies (initiated in 2000). All three works have several key things in common: each exists on the Internet; each is conceptually connected to the idea of online identity and virtual embodiment, and each required extensive research to inform and inspire the creative practice. The projects are presented within three main sections, each of which attempts to link personal experience and history to a larger cultural context within which the works were produced. The first section, "Breaking with Tradition," provides an overview of historical events that have influenced the changing relationship between artist and audience and argues that the foundations for networked art were laid largely by conceptual artists working during the 1960s and 1970s. The second section, "Distributed Identity," examines the emergence of identity in online public spaces, focusing specifically on issues surrounding the appropriation and use of the term "avatar," and the current cultural preoccupation with databasing and archiving. The third and final section, "Visualizing the Invisible," explores the various efforts to map cyberspace, particularly paying attention to the implicit intersection of network data visualisations and biological systems, and the popular trend toward developing more "intelligent" networks through use of autonomous agents.

La grande distribution affiche une politique anti-gaspillage et a ainsi proposé dès 2014des Fruits et Légumes (F&Ls) « moches » [109] à la vente. Mais ces ventes sont temporaires et locales,et ont des effets peu étudiés sur le comportement des consommateurs. Nous proposons ici d'étudier si un magasin virtuel immersif (dans lequel nous contrôlons les F&Ls) peut être utilisé pour étudier le comportement des consommateurs confronté à des F&Ls « moches ». Afin d'avoir assez de F&Ls pour remplir le magasin virtuel, nous avons généré des F&Ls d'apparences variables de manière semi-procédurale comme suit :(1) nous générons le maillage avec des Cylindres Généralisés (CGs) [6] ; puis (2) gêneront les couleurs avec un système de particule.Nous avons réalisé 2 études comparatives (resp.N=142 et N=196). L'une portant sur le comportement consommateur lorsque les F&Ls sont plus ou moins anormaux (8F&Ls séparés en 4 groupes : sans déformation,légèrement déformés, déformés et fortement déformés). Ces différences n'avaient pas d'incidences sur le comportement. L'autre portait sur le comportement consommateur lorsque l'environnement est plus ou moins immersif (8 F&Ls sans déformation et 8 F&Ls déformés, séparés en 3groupes : magasin laboratoire, magasin virtuel non immersif et magasin virtuel immersif). Il existe des différences entre ces environnements sur le comportement. Enfin, nous avons étudié si la représentation virtuelle du consommateur avait un effet lors de l'achat des produits (incluant, mais ne se limitant pas aux F&Ls) nous avons donc réalisé une étude (N=29) avec 2 groupes : avatar obèse et avatar non-obèse. Il existe des différences localisées entre ces représentations sur le comportement consommateur. / The retail sector has an anti-waste policyand has therefore offered “ugly” FaVs (Fruits and Vegetables) for sale as early as 2014 [109]. But these sales remain temporary and local and have little studied effects on consumer behavior. We propose here to study if an immersive virtual store (in which we control the FaVs) can be used to study consumer behavior confronted to “ugly” FaVs To have enough “ugly” FaVs to fill the virtual store, we developed a method capable of generatings emiprocedural FaVs. To do so we: (1) generate the mesh with Generalized Cylinders (GCs) [6]; then (2) generate the colors with a particle system.We conducted 2 comparative studies (N=142 andN=196 respectively). The first study focused on consumer behavior when the FaVs are abnormal (8 FaVs separated into 4groups: no deformation, slightly deformed, deformed and strongly deformed). These differences had no impact on consumer behavior. The other study focused on consumer behavior when the environment is more or less immersive (8 FaVs without deformation and 8 FaVs with deformation, separated into 3 groups: laboratory store, non immersive virtual store and immersive virtual store).There are differences between these environments on consumer behavior. Finally, we studied if the virtual representation of the consumer had an impact during the purchase of products (including, but not limited to, FaVs). To do so we carried out a third consumer study (N=29) (2groups: obese avatar and non-obese avatar). There are very localized differences between these representations on consumer behavior.

The aim of this thesis is to report on a transdisciplinary approach, regarding the complexity of thinking about human embodiment in relation to machine embodiment. A practical dimension of this thesis is to elicit some principles for the design and evaluation of virtual embodiment. The transdisciplinary approach suggests, firstly, that a single discipline or reality is, on its own, not sufficient to explain the complexity and dynamism of the embodied interaction between the human and machine. Secondly, the thesis argues for thinking of transdisciplinary research as a process of individuation, becoming or transduction, that is, as a process of mediation between heterogeneous approaches rather than perceiving research as a stabilized cognitive schema designed to accumulate new outcomes to the already-there reality. Arguing for going beyond the individualized approaches to embodiment, this thesis analyzes three cases where the problems that appear in one case are resolved through the analysis of the following one. Consisting of three phases, this research moves from objective scientific 'reality' to more phenomenological, subjective and complex realities. The first study employs a critical review of embodied conversational agents in human-computer interaction (HCI) in a learning context using a comparative meta-analysis. Meta-analysis was applied because most of the studies for evaluating embodiment are experimental. A learning context was selected because the number of studies is suitable for meta-analysis and the findings could be generalized to other contexts. The analysis reveals that there is no 'persona effect', that is, the expected positive effect of virtual embodiment on the participant's affective, perceptive and cognitive measures. On the contrary, it shows the reduction of virtual embodiment to image and a lack of consideration for the participant's embodiment and interaction, in addition to theoretical and methodological shortcomings. The second phase solves these problems by focusing on Mark Hansen's phenomenological account of embodiment in new media. The investigation shows that Hansen improves on the HCI account by focusing on the participant's dynamic interaction with new media. Nevertheless, his views of embodied perception and affection are underpinned by a subjective patriarchal account leading to object/subject and body/work polarizations. The final phase resolves this polarization by analyzing the controversial work of Alan Turing on intelligent machinery. The research provides a different reading of the Turing Machine based on Simondon's concept of individuation, repositioning its materiality from the abstract non-existent to the actual-virtual realm and investigating the reasons for its abstraction. It relates the emergence of multiple human-machine encounters in Turing's work to the complex counter-becoming of what it describes as 'the Turing Machine compound'.

The aim of this thesis is to report on a transdisciplinary approach, regarding the complexity of thinking about human embodiment in relation to machine embodiment. A practical dimension of this thesis is to elicit some principles for the design and evaluation of virtual embodiment. The transdisciplinary approach suggests, firstly, that a single discipline or reality is, on its own, not sufficient to explain the complexity and dynamism of the embodied interaction between the human and machine. Secondly, the thesis argues for thinking of transdisciplinary research as a process of individuation, becoming or transduction, that is, as a process of mediation between heterogeneous approaches rather than perceiving research as a stabilized cognitive schema designed to accumulate new outcomes to the already-there reality. Arguing for going beyond the individualized approaches to embodiment, this thesis analyzes three cases where the problems that appear in one case are resolved through the analysis of the following one. Consisting of three phases, this research moves from objective scientific ¿reality¿ to more phenomenological, subjective and complex realities. The first study employs a critical review of embodied conversational agents in human¿computer interaction (HCI) in a learning context using a comparative meta-analysis. Meta-analysis was applied because most of the studies for evaluating embodiment are experimental. A learning context was selected because the number of studies is suitable for meta-analysis and the findings could be generalized to other contexts. The analysis reveals that there is no ¿persona effect¿, that is, the expected positive effect of virtual embodiment on the participant¿s affective, perceptive and cognitive measures. On the contrary, it shows the reduction of virtual embodiment to image and a lack of consideration for the participant¿s embodiment and interaction, in addition to theoretical and methodological shortcomings. The second phase solves these problems by focusing on Mark Hansen¿s phenomenological account of embodiment in new media. The investigation shows that Hansen improves on the HCI account by focusing on the participant¿s dynamic interaction with new media. Nevertheless, his views of embodied perception and affection are underpinned by a subjective patriarchal account leading to object/subject and body/work polarizations. The final phase resolves this polarization by analyzing the controversial work of Alan Turing on intelligent machinery. The research provides a different reading of the Turing Machine based on Simondon¿s concept of individuation, repositioning its materiality from the abstract non-existent to the actual-virtual realm and investigating the reasons for its abstraction. It relates the emergence of multiple human¿machine encounters in Turing¿s work to the complex counter-becoming of what it describes as ¿the Turing Machine compound¿. / Ministry of Higher Education in the Sultanate of Oman