Space Services Inc. offers a service to launch a symbolic portion of cremated remains into Earth orbit, onto the lunar surface or into deep space. Missions into space that return the cremated remains to Earth are also available.

The /official/ text from the ISEA describing our project. Well… judge for yourself.

Hosted by: Singapore-Delft Water Alliance (SDWA)/National University of Singapore

This project attempted to improve the freshwater supply of Singapore by dowsing for underground water locations in the city state. By combing contemporary global positioning technology with ancient local positioning technê we are hoping to create a water dowsing map of Singapore. Using GPS receivers, accelerometers, data loggers and dowsing rods we envision to investigate relevant location of Singapore for their potential of groundwater storages. Our main interest is to related and compare this generated, ‘pre-scientific’ data with official, scientific data sets of the region and investigate the resulting differences and congruence further.

Mindful of this situation, we will be sourcing for water across Singapore in the weeks prior to the exhibition using an ancient, albeit completely un-scientific technique. Dowsing is the practice of using a rod or specially shaped stick to ‘divine’ the location of water underground. It was believed that magnetic energy would animate the rod if the dowser walks above a natural well. Despite numerous tests, no one has ever been able to prove that it actually works, but many continue to believe in its power – just like Homoepathy. As a fusion of body, instrument and landscape, dowsing was an pre-scientific form of location-positioning technology, and so for the artwork, the artists try to combine this age old ‘technology’ with modern sensoring methods. The dowsing rods will be enhanced with GPS and Motion Sensors, allowing data to be collected to create a map of potential water sources that will be presented in the gallery. And if all goes well, we could end up with very ‘new’ NEwater!

Shiho Fukuhara and Georg Tremmel will participate in a talk session with Yuko Ishiwaka (SoftBank BB), and Hiroya Tanaka. As a part of “Nature and Beyond” exhibition by students from
Hiroya Tanaka Laboratory, Keio SFC Faculty of Environment and Information Studies).

http://mountain.sfc.keio.ac.jp/NatureAndBeyond/

DATE: 8 March, 2008
LOCATION: Komyoji Temple, 3-25-1 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0001, Japan