MEMORIAL
MEmorial is an immersive performance project exploring digital memorialisation and the significance of ‘being remembered’. The project draws upon emerging research in the area of social-digital studies, focusing on online legacy and speculation around and beyond current digital legacy services.
Year: 2019
Performances: Inspace Gallery, Edinburgh (June 2019)
MEmorial is live performance, developed as a collaboration between artist Beverley Hood, creative technologist Tom Flint, theatre practitioner Sarah Rose Graber and playwright Morna Young. This interdisciplinary team of researchers and independent creative practitioners explored how performance and the creative use of digital media can add to conversations about the emerging field of thanotosensitive HCI design (design for the dead).
The project was developed through an exploratory process, drawing from existing research in socio-digital studies, interviewing experts in the field, and experimenting with a variety of technologies including VR and AI chat bots.
The work was developed during a two-week collaborative research residency at the Museum of Loss and Renewal, Collemacchia, Italy in October 2018, funded by Creative Scotland. Prior to this Graber and Young undertook initial research with the National Theatre of Scotland and ARC, Stockton. In June 2019 the project team completed a two week development workshop, funded by an Edinburgh Futures Institute Research Award, from the University of Edinburgh. The workshop culminated in a performance on Thursday 27th June 2019, at Inspace Gallery, Edinburgh. Additional support was provided by Sam Flint (programming), John Morrison and Mari-Nikol Panteva (performers).
With thanks to: AI, Ethics and Society research group, Mike Boyd, Edinburgh College of Art, Edinburgh Napier University, Design Informatics, Ewa Luger, Burkhart Schafer, Ucreate Studio and Jonathan Wyatt.
Funded by: Creative Scotland, National Theatre of Scotland, ARC Stockton and the Edinburgh Futures Institute at the University of Edinburgh.
