Digital Starlight Memorial: An Online Memorial System with Tangible Interactive Interface

Abstract

The Internet has created countless possibilities for commemorations dedicated to tragic or catastrophic events and for exercising collective memory, which has not only gradually hidden our physical bodies but is also changing the way we experience the death of those around us. People who died in some extreme events could not be buried well. Meanwhile, their relatives shared collective memories and trauma. Thus, I want to create a digital cemetery that collects the digital "soul". Besides, the digital cemetery could gather the people who have relatives who died in the same event and experienced the same trauma, forming a place that not only communicates but can heal each other. I will create a website as the main digital platform for the community where people can bury their loved ones in a virtual Constellations system and build them a monument. Along with an Augmented Reality mobile application, people can see the exact location of their relatives or friends buried in the constellation and resonate in the community. What's more, they can have an additional physical interaction device. When someone visits a buried person, the interactive device will produce haptic feedback, and people can experience tangible visualizations from the device and comfort from those who have shared trauma. To join the community or merely to experience it, both strains and reinforces the mutuality of the “Collective memory” said to be in this together.