This is a Design Fiction project that conceptualizes the embodiment of the online persona of a recently deceased person onto a physical object. This object acts as a pensieve of sorts (yes, that is a Harry Potter reference!), allowing people to examine and review memories of the deceased at their will through a screen interface placed inside. We are calling it Pensieve Box until J.K.Rowling decides to sue!

The box itself is wooden with antique etched panels on the sides and top. Loved ones can open the box, which reveals the screen containing images, videos, lifetime achievements and milestones of the deceased obtained from social media. Horizontal panels at the sides of the box emit a blue “glow” on the anniversaries of various events that occurred during their lifetime.

UPDATE : We went to the Fabworks Lab at UCI (It’s so cool, I can’t stop gushing about it! ) and made our Box. I’m a little proud of how its turned out, just a wee bit! 😀 

For the demonstration, we placed an iPad into the Box (we gave precise measurements for the Box, so that the iPad would fit in snugly at the top), and ran a sample website we developed which shows what the application would look like. For the glow effect, we glued on a battery powered LED light strip which could be switched on/off using a button.

Team – 2 members

My contribution – The whole concept of Pensieve Box, initial paper mockups, digital 3D mockups created on Photoshop, constructing and painting the final wooden Box.