Hunter/gatherer rituals

Remembrance

OR an obsolete item

Something like an archive

Again: Aby Warburg

Why is it good to remember the past?

It is a device that is supposed to help the last human on Earth, but it actually makes him feel worse.

 

Aby Warburg Mnemosyne Atlas

History repeating itself

Ghosts of history

A ghost

A ghost

A spirit

But we already have the oracle

But maybe it is not a tool, it is instead something that haunts him.

The undead

The archive as something undead; the archive as a ghost. In a way: in the future the internet will be a ghost, because it is no longer updated, but merely a kind of living/physical entity which “haunts” the last human.

So screens as ghosts– screens as something living in itself but not doing anything bad or good but just existing in a kind of parallel or liminal space.

The screen as a liminal space

 

The final product will be a wristband with a magnet on, and a small plastic container, also with a magnet attached, where there will be live worms inside the plastic container.

There were two iterations of this product. The first was with felt and second with a plastic bracelet instead of felt.

Initial sketch.

Finding mealworms at a local pet store

Felt, mealworms, magnet and plastic container

Bended felt to make the wristband

Felt wristband with magnet

I did not like this version so I discarded it and used another material instead of felt.

Same principle but other materials: all plastic and magnets.

I like this version better and this is also the final version.

Cockroach farm wristband / bracelet

Wristband worm farm (because cockroaches were sold out)

Domestication of animals, but since the last human on Earth is a nomad and there is almost no animals left (only beetles etc), the last human carries around a cockroach farm on his arm.

a 40-50 mio. years old cockroach

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cockroach

WORMS:

The lindworm – Nordic folklore animal, mythical creature. Appears in many tales, for instance: “King Lindworm” about a worm king who eats all his brides.

So the container should have small lindworms in them. As if the lindworm is the last remaining animal on Earth. Or one of the last remaining animals on Earth.

So it is both for capturing them and cultivating/growing them

FELT

Materials

Nasa gardens

Florafelt wall gardens

 

Joseph Beuys works in felt

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7eEfZ2aOIQ

Something involving domestication of animals

Like ants

Cockroaches

Cuts of felt –

It is the question of DOMESTICATION

Domestication of animals, of plants

 

The final product will be a long stick onto which there is attached a very dark piece of glass which will be used both as a mirror and a tool for looking straight into the sun. There is also attached a wheel with cutouts of 8 different postures. This wheel can be spun.

Sketch

I lasercut the wheel in black museum board – thick paper/cardboard.

The glass I found in Home Depot. It is a glass for welding.

 

I had the clamp in my house. All the pieces are put together using metal wire.

Final head of tool

I am always fascinated by tools, and especially tools with an extremely specific purpose. To get ideas for how to make my device, I went to Home Depot to look at tools.

 

Spikes to avoid your table legs make marks in your carpet. Possibly useful.

A “mystic” table lamp. Multiple dimensional lamp.

 

Mixing materials: a soft sponge on another soft although harder material.

Beautiful measuring tool

 

Many tools in Home Depot have futuristic looks: here: mixing the soft-looking ergonomic plastic handle with a killing tool, a hard metal cutter.

 

Also: very interesting and odd names for tools. This tool clearly has an extremely specific use that is only interesting to a certain group of people.

Another interesting name

 

There were many more interesting tools, but I had found enough that I could create my device.

+ listening to this:

https://youtu.be/SmFQP-Oe-PQ

 

 

Larynx or voice box. Practicing speaking. Walking upright – upright posture.

Posture

Highly developed metaphors – highly developed level of abstraction in the future. No need for physicality— no need for talking perhaps?

PLUS remember to avoid sci-fi idea of the future. Important to keep it in the speculative realm, not become tech geeky or steampunk fantastical.

Avoid sci-fi

Avoid cute

Should it be a drink? No.

It should be measurements. Or a tool for measuring (have not done that yet)

Measuring: days, time, hours, distance, emotional level

Moon watcher. Sun watcher. Sun clock.

No need to communicate (because there is no one to communicate with)

No need to talk about emotions. Rather measure them, and then action.

Measuring body posture as a physical expression of emotional state

from Klausstille.com

Aby Warburg

A way to connect astrology and psychology

Meaning: basically a way to connect the physicality of the stars and the beliefs connected to that to how our emotional states are. As astrology has always done. But also connecting this to the notion of bodies in a space which has a significance both culturally and naturally connected to body postures.

The device should somehow connect this into a meaningful pseudo-scientific (by our standards) measuring device.

Of course connected to horoscopes. The immediate meaninglessness of horoscopes, yet we believe in them. And still: they are often right. Like the oracle. Why shouldn’t the positions of the planets have influence? Gravity, sunstorms, all these things: the gravity of the moon moves the entire body of water in our oceans – why wouldn’t something move something in us as well?

The idea is that in the future we have a much larger connection to the planetary system on a much less divided pseudo-scientific way as we have today.