Cultivate Memories
approaching the treatment of the remains and memorabilia of a deceased loved one through the nurturing and growth of moss
Background
The topic of death was approached from various angles ranging from funeral home and hospice visits, cemetery and memorabilia research, as well as numerous interviews for personal narratives of the first death of a loved one they have experienced.
Death over Time
Room for Death
cemeteries have become annually unsustainable and limited in space affecting its ability to hold, and honor those who have deceased
Memory Excess
photos are apart of everyone’s life as technology has advanced and will be the dominant form of memorialization
treatment of the bodies has transitioned from almost exclusively burials to nearly 50% choosing to become cremated
treatment of memorialization has shifted toward a celebration of life from common grieving and sorrow
the memorabilia left behind to remember a loved one is becoming increasingly digital compared to tangible items
Design Solution
The use of a loved one’s cremated remains and photographic memorabilia to be cultivated as living moss squares to maintain links to personal memories and redefine cemetery space
receive photos & remains of deceased
family chooses meaningful images
moss blend is combined with remains
images mounted in multiple moss pieces
moss squares installed public & privately
Public
a map is formed from the GPS coordinates data of each moss square’s photo to unify community via geography and memory
Personal
selection of personal moss squares have photos that span all 12 months to engage the owner in nurturing their growth throughout the year
Personal Connection
With each moss square being grown with a particular photo memory, the time and location data is taken from each to create memory “flashbacks” sent to the user’s phone. The flashbacks are triggered upon the specific time and date the photo was taken, as well as the photo location relative to your GPS location.
Longevity
Over time more squares will be added and overlap with old ones, this layering shows another dimension giving viewers a sense of memory density to locations throughout the map of their community or county
Public Connection
with a QR code at the public installation, viewers can scan and access the archive and profiles of those in the moss wall, locate their squares, and view respective photos comprising their memorial
