Tascha, I wrote a paper late last year looking at virtual representations of memorialisation. The following is an abstract: "Virtual Memorialisation: Do Memorials Exist in Cyberspace? Memorialising the dead is an integral part of human nature that can be traced back to the dawn of civilization. With the advent of the Internet however, a new space, or cyberspace, may allow the living to revere the dead in geographically diverse and interactive ways. Using a unique model based on the motivations and characteristics of physical memorials from the past, this paper seeks to find the presence of memorialisation on the Internet. It also attempts to understand and categorise these fascinating rituals, while also investigating possible links between the remembrance of the dead in the physical space and the virtual." Please contact me directly should you feel this work is relevant to your study. Regards Kylie Kylie J. Veale | Brisbane, Australia GradDipInvEnv, MInetStds(Design) Provisional PhD candidate email: kylie@veale.com.au www: http://www.veale.com.au/kylie icq: 27938257 msn: kyliej@hotmail.com yahoo: kylie_veale -----Original Message----- From: air-l-admin@aoir.org [mailto:air-l-admin@aoir.org] On Behalf Of Tasha Buch Sent: Saturday, 17 April 2004 9:16 PM To: air-l@aoir.org Subject: [Air-l] Thoughts wanted on virtual grief-community Importance: High Dear list-subscribers on AOIR: I am working on my thesis project which concerns a case study in a Danish virtual grief-community called Mindet.dk [English: The Memorial]. This community is a possibillity for bereaved to meet other people who have lost a beloved one. The website contains functions as a official guestbook, memorials, light a candle and private foras. In our contemporary society death and grief is such a taboo. I undertake a theoretical exploration of the ideas of community, death and griefing in our society, together with an empirical study of community on Mindet.dk in order to find out if the Internet can be a new space to fulfill a missing function in our society. I would very much like to hear from anyone who has experience or interesting thoughts about what social aspects (negative aswell as positive) the Internet can contribute to such a private theme as death and grief. Best, Tasha Buch Graduate Student IT-University of Copenhagen, Denmark Design, Media an Communication Program _______________________________________________ Air-l mailing list Air-l@aoir.org http://www.aoir.org/mailman/listinfo/air-l