Interactions - September/October 2011

all over the world. However, it is unclear whether websites can provide a sense of place and togetherness similar to that of the Poetry Tree. The significance of the physical nature of this tree is also seen in the weathering of the poems, something a website cannot typically emulate.

Kirk and Banks have been exploring physicality and memorialization using digital technology through the development of Technology Heirlooms— physical, interactive devices that include digital content related to a deceased person and are used to commemorate a life [ 5]. One example is the Timecard, a touchscreen housed within an aesthetically appealing wooden box. A family member may interact with the Timecard by navigating a chronological timeline and selecting digital images of their loved one. While this artifact demonstrates the use of digital technology placed in significant places around a home, it is not too difficult to conceive of ways to extend these ideas for global audiences. By installing memorials that use digital technology, are connected to the Internet, and are situated in significant areas such as bushfire-affected towns, we can begin to explore the benefits of bringing together locally affected and globally interested audiences in commemorations.

Religious expression can sometimes be seen through prayer and simple expressions such as “God bless you all,” frequently scattered throughout memorial Web pages. Within an international audience, there are likely to be a variety of differing religious customs and traditions. This gives rise to significant challenges in designing sensitively for disparate groups. As

Acknowledgements We thank those from bushfire-affected communities who gave their time to help contribute to this research. They donate their own time and money to sensitively commemorate Black Saturday, and we have seen firsthand the benefits of these activities for all those affected.

an example of symbols and rituals, we witnessed the lighting of candles at an anniversary service in a local community. For global memorialization, virtual candles can be lit, with each expiring in 48 hours [ 6]. But questions remain as to whether this type of action is as meaningful as lighting a physical candle and whether communities will enthusiastically adopt such a practice to commemorate significant events.

The Poetry Tree afforded artistic expression within one community we visited. For global memorialization, this opens up opportunities for online platforms to host large audiences who create and share artistic works for commemorations. Crafts, on the other hand, allow groups to come together and grieve while creating something of value for themselves and others, such as the decorative letterboxes. In a global context, it is worth exploring the potential of using technology to help coordinate activities of large populations, in which items of both practical and commemorative value may be created for the affected local community.

We have discussed local community memorialization in the context of the Black Saturday bushfires. As global populations continue to experience such devastating events through the Internet, there will be a growing need to provide better ways for large, distributed audiences to participate in memorialization. We believe that current practices of global memorialization can be improved through digital technology that considers the opportunities and challenges arising from place and togetherness; physical objects; religion, symbols, and rituals; and arts and crafts.

eNdNotes:

1. 2009 Victorian bushfires royal commission; http://www.royalcommission.vic.gov.au/ commission-reports/Final-report/Summary/ Interactive-Version 2. the tree project; http://www.treeproject.abavic. org.au/ 3. the Memory box project; http://www.rav.net.au/ storyboard/blog/christmas-hills/posts/the-memory-box-project 4. Emergence Art on the Move 2011; http://www. emergence2011.com/ 5. Kirk, D. and banks, r. On the design of technol- ogy heirlooms. Proc. of the International Workshop on Social Interaction and Mundane Technologies (cambridge, UK). 2008. 6. Light A candle; http://www.gratefulness.org/ candles/ enter.cfm?l=eng

About the Authors

Joji Mori is a ph.D. candidate in
the Interaction Design Group at
the University of Melbourne. He
has recently worked in industry as
an interaction designer and
usability consultant. His research
interest is the role of digital technologies in society,
with a current focus on community memorialization.

Steve Howard has worked in
many areas of HcI, including
usability engineering, user-cen-
tered innovation, and post-usabili-
ty interpretations of user experi-
ence. Howard’s current focus is It
in the wild, specifically mobile and
pervasive computing applied to problems of real
social need.

September + October 2011

Martin Gibbs is a senior lecturer in
the Department of Information
Systems at the University of
Melbourne. His current teaching
and research interests lie at the
intersection of science, technolo-
gy studies, and human-computer
interaction and are focused on the sociable use of
interactive technologies.