Thesis Proposal
Spatial Memory: Exploring Human-Memory Interaction in the Digital Space
Last updated: January 25, 2026
Working Title
Spatial Memory: Exploring Human-Memory Interaction in the Digital Space
1. Project Overview
Core Inquiry
When the medium of memory shifts from “flat images” (photos, videos) to “digital spaces” (3D Gaussian Splatting, Volumetric Capture), how will our perception and interaction with past experiences change?
Context
- People record experiences through photos and videos — 2D forms with fixed perspectives
- When we look at photos, we’re “spectators” — we can only look at the past
- Now, 3D scanning technologies (like 3DGS) allow us to preserve “space” itself
- When space can be preserved, we transform from “spectators” to people who can “return” to that space
Three Dimensions of Exploration
- Return to: When I can freely walk through a past space, does memory become more real, or more ghostly?
- Reshape: Does editing spatial memory equate to psychologically reshaping our past?
- Share: How do we design the “ritual of entering a memory”?
2. Motivation
My Background: Theatrical Lighting Designer
As a theatrical lighting designer, I’m sensitive to light, but more importantly, I deeply understand the symbiotic relationship between light and space:
- Space lets light travel, and also blocks it
- Light attaches to space
- Space opens up or shrinks because of light
When I judge whether a scene looks “right,” I’m actually feeling the entire space — not just where the light hits. This makes me extremely sensitive to how space changes with light in everyday life.
Space Is How I Perceive the World
For me, space is unique:
- It’s how I perceive and understand the world
- It’s how I communicate the world — my feelings transform into light, then reach the audience
And space has a unique quality: it can envelop people.
What I Want to Explore
When we can preserve space, and share spatial memories — what does that feel like?
This isn’t just technical curiosity. It’s a deep exploration of “how to convey experience through space” — which is exactly what I’ve been doing as a lighting designer.
3. Form / Output
Intended Form
Practice-Based ‘Single-Artifact’ Project
A VR/MR experience that allows audiences to enter digitally preserved spatial memories.
Technical Approach
Pipeline:
360 camera capture → RealityScan (point cloud) → PostShot (3DGS) → Unreal Engine → VR| Phase | Tools/Technology |
|---|---|
| Space Capture | 360 camera, iPhone |
| Point Cloud | RealityScan |
| 3DGS Processing | PostShot |
| Engine Integration | Unreal Engine (3DGS Plugin) |
| Experience Format | VR (Meta Quest) |
Interaction Design
What can audiences do:
- Walk freely through preserved space
- Change the space: adjust lighting, colors, create particle flow
- Or simply observe the space changing
- Interaction can be big or small — pure observation is also a form of interaction
Current Exploration:
- Body interaction in VR
- Hand tracking, body movement → change brightness/atmosphere of spatial memory
Design Direction: Let audiences interact with spatial memory through “light” and body — this echoes my background as a lighting designer and explores embodied interaction with memory.
4. Timeline (14 weeks)
Phase 1: Concept & Tech Exploration (Week 1-4, Jan-Feb)
- Decide which space to scan
- 3DGS pipeline technical experiments
- VR basic setup and testing
- End of Feb: Complete first Prototype
Phase 2: Development (Week 5-8, Feb-Mar)
- Formally capture target space
- 3DGS processing and optimization
- Lighting design experiments
- VR interaction design and implementation
- Mar 11: Midterm Demo
Phase 3: Iteration & Refinement (Week 9-12, Mar-Apr)
- Iterate based on feedback
- Evaluative testing
- Refine experience flow
Phase 4: Final & Documentation (Week 13-14, May)
- Final adjustments
- Process Documentation
- Showcase preparation
5. Thesis Statement
“My thesis explores the transformation of human-memory interaction when memories shift from 2D images to 3D spaces, by creating a VR experience that uses 3D Gaussian Splatting to allow users to return to, and potentially reshape, their spatial memories.”
6. Existing Work
I’ve already begun experimenting with 3D Gaussian Splatting:
- Nankunshen Temple 3DGS — A test capture of a temple that holds personal significance
7. Presentation
- Slides: dazaistudio.com/slides/thesis.html
- PDF Download: dazaistudio.com/slides/thesis.pdf
Last updated: 2026-01-26