Spirit of Place and Sense of Place in Virtual Realities
Edward Relph
‘a mutual interaction is at work between what might be called ‘real’ place and virtual places’
‘The depth of the meanings that places have for us are informed both by the qualities of their
settings, which I will refer to as spirit or identity of place and by our sense of place, or ability to
appreciate those qualities. In everyday experience spirit and sense of place are inextricably
intertwined, but it is helpful to distinguish them so that their relevance for virtual places can be
made clear.’
‘spirit of place’ comes from the latin ‘genius loci’; Romans used to believe that places were
For the Romans, as for many other cultures, the world was a sacred space occupied by a pantheon of gods and spirits. Every forest grove, mountain, river, village and town was the home of its own spirit that gave identity to that place by its presence and its actions. With the progress of civilization the gods of places have lost most of their powers, so the expression ‘spirit of place’ now has a mostly secular meaning
that refers to the distinctive identity of somewhere.’
spirit of place/sense of place
‘Virtual realities with a high degree of presence raise profound questions about the distinction between what is real and what is artificial, about the limits of technology and who controls it, about addiction and
about which places are to be simulated for what purposes and whose purposes those are.’
“authenticity” is simply an inappropriate concept to apply to virtual places
many digital virtual places are interactive, can be explored from different directions and modified by those who encounter them. The exploration and modification of virtual places require an active and creative exercise of imagination. Virtual places don’t have readers or viewers – they have participants.
simultaneously participants and authors