Final Status was an interactive digital art installation that I created in the summer of 2013. The idea for this project originated from a survey and resulting dissertation entitled “Exploring the Boundaries of Sharing Personal Content via Social Networks, from Prenatal to Posthumous.”
Initially, I thought about finding the actual deceased’s Facebook profile and using data extracted from them as part of the final piece. I scoured news headlines to find people that had been killed and tried to track them down online. The more I researched this and found the deceased profiles, the more wrong it felt to use them, even though all this information is public. I then decided try and find living donors and ask them to submit their final status. I left it to them to interpret it how they wanted, either what they would want their final status to be, or the last thing they posted on Facebook.
So far I have received over 50 submissions to the project which I incorporated into the final installation, a digital shrine that came to life as the viewer walked into the room – see photos.
Here are some of the final statuses that were submitted over the course of the project:
“So happy I made it to 200 years old, and therefore was around to see the invention of time travel, human colonies settle on planets beyond our solar system, actual world peace achieved and real living dinosaurs in the flesh”
“Goodbye, world…”
“Going out with the girls”
“I never wanted to die”
“What was that all about”
“The book is finally finished”
“I love walking on the beach with my boyfriend. Until the LSD wears off and I’m just dragging a stolen mannequin around a car park”
“Oh my absolute God, just walked half way to the train before realising my dress was tucked completely into the back of my knickers. Thank The Lord I’m not wearing my girdle”
“I told you I was ill”
“If you’re reading this, then I’m dead. Drag. But my mother once told me that she’d prefer people to celebrate her life than mourn her death. I agree. So, spare a friendly thought, smile, and remember me as I was in the good old days… back when I had hair”
“If we met, I’m sad to say, we won’t be meeting later. Be grateful for the life you have, for I’m just worms and data”
“I can’t believe it happened. blink. MUM!”
“I’m going to bed now, goodnight”
“I said it so many times that it became meaningless, but every time I meant it”
“It had its moments :)”
“I Tried”
“I really don’t take enough time out just to sit down and think about how ace bread is”
“Whatever I’ve done in my life, I would hope that I’ve helped my children have happy, healthy fulfilled lives.”
“Tried my best, did all I could, gave it my all”
“I was fast”
“I hope that spare body vessel arrives soon”
“It was a really thrilling “journey”. There must be more to learn and I think I will come back, hopefully with much more awareness of my power as human being. My deep appreciation to everyone helping me in any way, shape or form in that master class called life. I love you all, in a way that only now I might really grasp”
“Listen to God Only Knows, Beach Boys – I have that now, then, always – I’ll be singing it to you in the breeze”
“Living in the forest is amazing, the badger family at the bottom of the copse are doing well, I saw cubs the other night as well as our resident tawny owl who hoots a hello. Anyway, about to snuggle in front the fire with my soul mate, never been happier”
“Off to join the cuddly picture gang”
“It was hard to be normal”