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
As a cultural and visual anthropologist in the 21st Century, I'm equally aware of vanishing culture and emerging culture. One intriguing idea that I've been exploring is the topic of Android Ghosts, whether machines have a soul. Whether or not they do, humans seem to believe in the illusion of life they provide and form emotional attachments to devices they interact with on a daily basis. Since this project began, the world has experienced a sudden increase in social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic and devices have become more central as tools of communication and companions in times of isolation. The cross cultural historical precedent for this phenomenon is the archeological and anecdotal concept of childhood toys, which merit naming, caring and backyard funerals. My personal and academic experience with the growing epidemic of loneliness drew me to the topic of artificially intelligent companions that may give a similar comfort. The need for attachment results in a similar human desire for a formal detachment and closure. I have attempted to create a cross-culturally ceremonial shrine where that both remembrance and mourning can occur. As humanity and technology shift to interact more closely, there will be an increasing need for a ritual that speaks to this new paradigm. Post Human Angels is an attempt to create one of those rituals.
