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A Vision of Material Recycling, Energy Utilization, and Digital Immortality in Martian Funerary Practices
The Eternal Tree System is our design fiction for funeral services on Mars in 2070. On Mars, the material and energy legacies of the deceased still need to be collected and repurposed, while their spiritual legacies will, in a sense, achieve "digital immortality" after death.
design of the Eternal Tree System imaginatively addresses core questions such as how bodies are handled on Mars, how funerals are held, how Martians remember and honor the deceased, how Martian cemeteries are designed, and how interactions occur between the living and the dead. In this system, the deceased transform into "Eternal Plants" in the "The Feathering Capsule," which are then planted in the Martian "Eternal Garden." This method, surpassing traditional gravestones, is viewed as an honor and a new way to commemorate and reconnect the living with the deceased.
In 2070, the brain-machine chips of the deceased can be extracted and uploaded to the cloud, creating digital life and achieving memory preservation. On Mars, digital memories are stored in a "Soul Urn," which can be taken home by family members or placed in the "Eternal Garden" for remembrance.
The "Feathering Capsule" is a multifunctional device for Mars residents that combines burial and post-processing functions. During the burial ceremony, it serves as a "coffin," symbolizing solemnity and respect. Afterward, it transforms the body into "Eternal Plants," much like a "cremation furnace." Additionally, it extracts digital memories from the brain-computer chip and securely uploads them to the "Soul Urn." Designed with Mars' resource efficiency and recycling principles in mind, the "feathering" process provides a calming, pressure-free environment for the deceased’s family and friends, offering emotional comfort.
The "Soul Urn," as a container for the deceased's digital legacy, operates using solar energy, serving a function similar to a Mars-based urn. Thanks to advanced technology in 2070, the deceased's digital memories, with prior authorization, can be revisited. Moreover, the living can connect with the deceased's "digital soul" through the "Soul Urn," enabling timeless communication.
The "Eternal Garden" serves as a beautiful landscape, a memorial space, and a bridge between the living and the deceased. At night, mist nourishes the plants and adds mystery to the memorials. Mist projection technology allows the deceased's digital image to appear and interact with the living, letting memories and emotions flow. The "Eternal Plants," formed from the deceased, stand like monuments, symbolizing each person's unique contribution and value.
