Infinite Nows
Mission Eternity Tamatar
by Silvan Zurbrügg (CH)
The etoy.TAMATAR1) are white spherical carriers created for the resurrection of dead Pilots from etoy's2) MISSION ETERNITY3) project. Fragments from the legacy of a Pilot are embodied in a swarm of white Styrofoam spheres. Styrofoam is a typical packaging material: light, cheap, shock-absorbing and, thus, ideal to protect sensitive content. The inherent fragility of the material and the ephemeral nature of its function remind us of the permanent decay of matter. Previously recorded memories of the Pilot are used to detect characteristic elements and to derive behavioural patterns for the TAMATAR. This code is combined with voice recordings and roughly 16 gigabytes of data collected by the PILOT, his friends/family and etoy.AGENTS to generate animated objects that collectively form a social presence and build a bridge to the spirit of the Pilot. The project was developed in the context of MISSION ETERNITY, a long term project of the art group etoy that examines the cultural implications of our digital remains.