ReMember: Using Biosignals to Recall Memories of Companion Animals

ReMember is an interactive installation that provides bereaved pet owners with a sense of presence and connection to their deceased companion animals. Many pet owners suffer from bereavement and grief upon the loss of companion animals, and rituals and memorialization can help their grieving process. In this installation, the authors integrate audiovisual effects of the heartbeat recordings of companion animals and cremation stones made for pet memorialization. The audience's responses to ReMember show that interactivity and physiological signals augment the physical object of remembrance and elicit strong emotions. ReMember suggests that digitalized physiological signals and biological data can be a new form of the legacy of animal companionships and that the careful curation of digital, biological, and physical artifacts can support continuing bond expressions in pet loss.