In a speculative future scenario, due to global overpopulation, land in cities is a rare commodity and there is no space for graveyards and mortuaries. A truly post-humanist society depends on techno-scientific faith: human identity can overcome physical death by both being uploaded into the Cloud and consumed physically. The essence of a person’s identity is contained in their data, beside body and mind. One part of the essence goes up to the Cloud. Algorithms upload the person’s data to the virtual heaven where her essence keeps living an afterlife. The body material becomes subject to chemical transformation. To preserve another part of the person’s essence, the ashes are processed into a powder, liquid or solid form. Therefrom a variety of artefacts get produced to be consumed throughout the mourning ritual. 

 

Ousia Virtual questions the doctrines of death and mourning in our society, in conjuction with the emerging transhumanist current dominating our mediascapes. The installation consists a fictional "Global Cloud Constitution", ie a set of new doctrines to be followed within a proposed transhumanist mourning ritual, alongside physical artefacts, "playing" as hallucinogenic edible artefacts, served to be consumed by the deceased's close ones.

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