Post Human Angels: Compassionate Relationships with Inanimate ObjectsMain MenuAbstract for Multimedia InstallationLoneliness is an EpidemicRobot CompanionsAI TherapyAI Conversational PartnersAI Virtual Girlfriend AppsIllusion of LifeUser ExperiencePosthuman Community IntegrationPhones as a companion or extension of selfCommemoration of Loss RitualsShinto Religion and KamiMemorial Shrines Across CulturesStages of GriefPop Culture ReferencesDesign Inspiration and IdeationMultiMedia Installation Process LogReferencesChandler Zausner79f10117cb41ef0830ff5272f11a5217adfc8b28
Japan, Kami: The Gods of Shinto
12020-04-24T16:22:22-07:00Chandler Zausner79f10117cb41ef0830ff5272f11a5217adfc8b28370851A short introduction to Kami or the gods of shintoplain2020-04-24T16:22:22-07:00YouTubeBlender Warriors2009-01-08T10:33:10.000ZiOynXOWvkU8Chandler Zausner79f10117cb41ef0830ff5272f11a5217adfc8b28
1media/Aibo Funeral.jpg2020-04-12T12:48:16-07:00Shinto Religion and Kami9image_header2020-04-26T15:47:11-07:00 Kami and the Spirit of Objects
This installation takes its initial inspiration from Japan’s Kofukuji Temple in Isumi that ceremonially commemorates the lives of obsolete Aibo robot dogs, who receive blessings from priests and wear tags that explain their family history. As the robot dog’s soul returns to their owner, the mechanism transforms from companion to machine. The illusion of companionship achieved through AI and hand held devices mimic the attachment in relationships between sentient beings, such as family members or pets. This new connection requires similar ceremonial practices, as years of companionship inevitably lead to loss of function, damage, obsolescence, an ending of an intimate personal relationship that requires closure. Every emotional attachment to an inanimate object deserves some commemoration, especially in the final stage. This process may be a ceremony that releases the Kami or spirit of that object back to nature.