Networked Veil

Interactive projection, machine learning, python, c++, openFrameworks

Networked Veil is an interactive projection which creates new digital landscapes based on the emotional content of textual messages on grief.

For this project, I was drawn to new rituals of grief and collective memorialisation within the digital realm and how our manifestation of personal grief and fear of death is being altered through technology. In Networked Veil we look at the ancient ritual of writing a message to the deceased loved one. As our communication is severely mediated by technology, our writing a letter has been replaced with typing. As we progressively witness the advancement of technological tools, I question what tools we will use to express our grief – lighting digital candles and funeral live streams are already a reality.

Networked Veil looks at how technology is reframing our view of death and how we deal with grief. The public is invited to send a message to a deceased dear one, which will trigger a particular visual in relation to the emotions found in the message. As grief encompasses many stages of emotions, a machine-learning Python library is used to identify the emotions and their scores present in the text message sent. The projection gathers all our tributes and memories, thus it never looks the same throughout the duration of the exhibition.

In memory of all it was and what will never be.