We have been asked to design some epitaphs for the deceased employees of a certain company.*
An epitaph is a means of accessing memories of the deceased through a physical medium (a stone headstone, for example). In approaching this task, we considered first whether recollection might not be possible without the interposition of a physical object. The physical medium (an object with definite iconographical connotations such as a stone headstone) seemed in fact to be a potential barrier to the memory of a cherished person because it so powerfully draws our attention to that substance itself.
The given in this project was, first of all, a plot of land (24m x 12m) planned to be a memorial garden. The land has no obtrusive features, just a few trees (white oak). A path has been cut into this flat surface, sloping downward one meter below ground level and rising up again in a U-shape. The idea behind this descent into the earth is to direct the visitor's awareness toward the past. On the west wall of this sunken path the names of all the deceased are inscribed. This is the configuration of the memorial spaces in real space. This space we shall provisionally call memorial space “I”.
This space called “I” mediates between the real space in which we live (space “R”) and the space inhabited by the dead (which we shall call “D”). By stepping into space I and venturing along the path, we can temporarily detach ourselves from space R and gain access to D. This is the purpose of space I.
As the next process in this exploration, we looked at what happens when another space I’ is inserted between spaces I and D by means of a computer. Space I’ equates with cyberspace, in other words. In space I, the names of the dead are commemorated. We now progress into space I’ which the dead actually inhabit in more definite and accessible form. If we trace the formation of this space, I’ is first and foremost a valley, the valley of the dead. The depth of this valley corresponds to the depth of space I, serving as a parameter for quantifying time in spatial terms.
Next, the addresses of the dead in this valley are determined. A path runs through the center of the valley, the person's birthplace being the parameter that fixes the distance from the center path, and the date on which the person was born determining the depth of each location in the valley.
Next, the fine detail of the valley is worked out from the deceased person's life span. During a long lifetime, the earth that supports that life becomes a high mound, so the topography becomes pleated in fine folds. On these folds a tree is planted for each person and the name of the deceased is inscribed on each tree. The tree species are appropriate to each person's gender. In this way, the valley of the dead becomes a forest of trees.
Space I’ is like a communal book of memories, created as a spatial object. This spatial register of the dead is prepared as a way of accessing space D, as a medium through which visitors may recall those who have long since passed away.
While the four spaces R, I, I’ and D exist in juxtaposition, the essential link between them is the vital point. It is to achieve this unification - in other words, to find meaning and connection between agencies R and D - that people have drawn on their wits and plied their wisdom through the ages. For instance, in the physical act of lighting incense or in the faint resonance of a temple bell, human beings have found a practical means of making that descent from space R to D.
Most discussion about cyberspace today tends to be focused on the character and structure of that space itself. The more vital question is the interconnection of cyberspace and real space. The real issue that demands attention, we believe, is how people can participate in each of these two spaces.
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* Inoue Kogyo Co.,Ltd. which has its head office in Takasaki. The past president, Fusaichiro Inoue, is a prominent leader of cultural activities in the district. He is known, among many other things, for supporting Bruno Taut's stay in Japan and for establishing the Gunma Symphony Orchestra which is famous for a cinema called “Spring Waters.”
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