Examples
We offer the following as examples of some work that aligns with the intentions of this workshop and has inspired this workshop. Feel free to browse these resources and use them as references/starting points for your own exploration and work:
Human-God Interfaces (Fabian Hemmert, Andreas Bell, et al.)
From the press release: "How does it physically feel to be forgiven one’s sins? How can others benefit from one’s prayers? How much are we worth to God, and how can we feel that? These and other questions were taken on by students of the Industrial Design course at the University of Wuppertal in a project funded by the Catholic Educational Institution Bonn. ... Guided by Prof. Dr. Fabian Hemmert, an expert for designing human-machine interactions, and Dr. Andreas Bell, who works with the Catholic Educational Institution Bonn, the students identified theological topics that were to be turned into haptic, physical experiences. The students then took on traditional Catholic rituals from an Industrial Design perspective, bringing them to modern aesthetics. Abstract elements of belief were thus turned into concrete experiences, making them palpable also for those who do not regularly attend church."
ThanatoFenestra (Daisuke Uriu)
From the description: "'ThanatoFenestra' is a family altar designed for people to remember the deceased and pray for them, which displays the images of the deceased depending on a candlelight’s movement by burning aroma oil for cleansing their spirits like using incense sticks. In this paper, we define why we made the ThanatoFenestra deriving from Japanese traditional Buddhist rituals, describe how it works technically, suppose how to use it by two scenarios, and discuss how it will be able to make a new Japanese ritual surrounding death."
Prayer Companion (Bill Gaver)
From the description: "Developed for the nine Poor Clare Sisters who live at a monastery in York, UK, the Prayer Companion is a communication device with a very explicit purpose: it alerts the nuns to issues that need their prayers. The nuns, whose everyday lives have changed little since medieval times, have taken vows of enclosure, and their only connection to the outside world is through occasional access to Catholic newspapers, mail, and limited use of the telephone and computer. Designed to be understated and unobtrusive, the Prayer Companion subtly scrolls a ticker tape of issues across its top; its small screen can only be viewed from above and close-up, thus minimizing its distracting potential."