The Transduction of the Archive as an Embodied Space

Abstract

Following the mass digitization of archives and the growing production of born‑digital material, we explore how interactive and immersive technologies can enable new modes of access to these collections in situated contexts. Drawing on Gilbert Simondon’s concept of transduction and Mark Johnson’s philosophy of embodiment, we examine the trichotomy participant‑system‑spectators, framing the archive as an embodied space where interpretative paths emerge through interaction and embodied cognition. This interdisciplinary discussion is grounded in two interactive installations we have developed at the Laboratory for Experimental Museology (EPFL), which serve as case studies to illustrate our arguments.