The Memories I Hold in the Name of You

• Main Author: Chan, Zherrine JiaWen
• Other Authors: Jeffrey Hong
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2023
• Subjects: Visual arts and music::Design::Product
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/168200
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Through speculative concepts, interview research, and biographical text, this project discusses the increasing land scarcity in Singapore in regard to the use of space for the dead, in order to release land for the use of the living. Singapore is a city-state and land is scarce. There is limited space in which to provide housing, infrastructure, industry, and leisure space (Ward, 2017). With the government’s projected population goal of 6.9 million by the year 2030 (Cheam, 2013), which was stated in the Population White Paper (PWP), the land will be in more demand. The introduction of cremation has helped to save plenty of land, however, as the population is expected to grow in the next few decades, this current space compression solution may be inadequate (Kong & Sidaway, 2015). As an expected surge in death rates in the next few years in Singapore, the development of more columbarium and cemetery do not seem to be an answer to the pressing issue (designboom, 2013). The land will continue to become more scarce and sought after, will there still be a place for the dead? The Memories I Hold In The Name Of You aims to encourage the community to explore the option of sea burial by addressing the missing materialised impact/communication that was discovered from the research findings. The design calls for the community's acceptance of a more collective and sustainable measure of handling remains yet honouring the materialised dialogue that burial and cremation traditions usually provide.