Inspiration

We created a concept which would help people commemorate their loved one in an area designated to the memorialization of those who have passed. This idea was inspired by a desire to alleviate the concern of space-consuming burial sites by creating a communal area dedicated to this space of commemoration. This desire to create an area for intimacy and community was also largely motivated by the issue of kodokushi.

Since the prompt asked to create a memorial for someone who has not yet passed away, we created a memorialization tool for those who are aware that they will be passing away in the near future. Our audience is thus mainly catered towards hospital patients with terminal illnesses but is accessible by people who are not within this specific demographic.

Behind the Name

The term “Death Shower” is a nod to the well-known “Baby Shower” in which party members “shower” the person who is expecting, typically the soon-to-be-mother, with presents in anticipation of the birth of the child. Our Death Shower hints at this anticipation while creating a space for people to celebrate the entirety of a person’s life, who we will be referred to as “loved one”, in stark contrast to counting down the seconds to their death.

Brainstorming

In thinking through this narrative, we spent time thinking of questions that would be important for us to answer in order to enhance the story behind our proposal. Such questions include the ones written below (i.e. who sponsors this and who staffs it)