Program Overview
Program Overview
The Virtual Futures course is an investigation of the ways technology, which now mediates data through spatial computing platforms such as extended reality (XR), will continue to impact our relationship with the built environment and the architect’s role in the development of these new digital horizons.
Course Details
- Course Title: Virtual Futures
- Course Number: 1249
- Instructors: Beom Jun Kim, Olalekan Jeyifous
- Semester offered: Fall 2022, Fall 2023, Fall 2024
- Credits: 3
Course Description
Our exploration in XR includes a special guest instructor, Olalekan Jeyifous, a visual artist whose work explores visions of the future as a critique of contemporary social structures though the creation of dystopian realities describing urban issues, politics, art, and popular culture as expressions of the black diaspora within the disappearing urban ephemera of places like Brooklyn, New York, where his practice is based. Together, we explore the existing urban condition as an environment co-constitutive of other realities such as social structures, institutionalized injustice, and prevailing false narratives expressed as imagined futures in the form of non-static immersive experiences of the city. These imagined futures reveal the thin line between hope and despair as expressions of uncomfortable truths about the current trajectories of society.
Program Structure
The course is part of the Yale Architecture program, which includes various degrees such as M.Arch I, M.Arch II, M.E.D., Ph.D., and Joint-degree Programs, as well as undergraduate studies and special projects like The Jim Vlock First Year Building Project.
Research Areas
The program touches on research areas including:
- Extended Reality (XR)
- Spatial Computing
- Urban Condition
- Social Structures
- Institutionalized Injustice
- Immersive Experiences
- Urban Ephemera
- Black Diaspora
- Dystopian Realities
- Urban Issues
- Politics
- Art
- Popular Culture
Academic Calendar
The course is offered in the Fall semester, with specific dates for Fall 2022, Fall 2023, and Fall 2024.
Faculty and Staff
The program is led by faculty members including Beom Jun Kim and Olalekan Jeyifous, with potential contributions from other faculty and staff within the Yale Architecture department.
Student Opportunities
Students have access to various resources and opportunities, including:
- Student Travel
- Awards and Fellowships
- Explore all Courses
- Student Affairs
- Recent Graduates
- Student Work
- Student Groups
- Career Development
About the School
Yale Architecture is part of Yale University, with a history and objectives that include a focus on education, research, and community engagement. The school has various facilities and resources, including the Yale Urban Design Workshop, Yale Center for Ecosystems in Architecture, Fabrication Labs, and Advanced Technology.