Tumbling in Harness inquires into the sociopolitical, practical, and emotional implications of online death in the age of platform capitalism. As the world has become increasingly integrated with online media, digital memorialization complicates the notion of what remains of a life after death, and how the bereaved mourn in the absence of physical bodies. Conceiving that people might persist eternally through data raises questions around digital immortality and the recodification of death rituals that transform the perception we have of life’s finitude, and ultimately, our sense of loss. AI and social media alike have facilitated unprecedented interactions between the deceased and the living that continue to evolve. Digital immortality brings forth unique cultural, technical, social, ethical, and legal challenges that mustn’t go unrecognized.

Thesis Advisor: Barbara Fischer

Program: Master of Visual Studies in Curatorial Studies

Image credits: 1-Banner image) Russell Perkins, The Future Tense, 2021, multi-channel sound installation. 2) Charlie Engman, Halo, 2023. AI Generated Image. 3) Charlie Engman, Digital Dove, 2023, AI Generated Image. 4) Up: Stine Deja, Suspended Vision, 2019, video, 04:19 minutes. Down: Vunkwan Tam, Untitled (The traffic noise arched over a bubbling mass of public conversation and pattering footsteps on concrete), 2021, body bags. 5) Oreet Ashery, Revisiting Genesis - Bambie, Death Online (2012 - present).