Probably the most groundbreaking idea on TEDxAmsterdam 2010 was presented by Martine de Wit of DUS Architects. Their Worldmoon got stage time by winning the NRC Challenge, combining science and fiction. Martine told Tim all about the science and the fiction of this idea.
The idea of a Worldmoon, a global cemetery on the moon, arose when Alicia Framis of Moonlife asked DUS Architects to develop something for the Moonlife concept store – travelling around the world selling products about living on the moon. For this store DUS Architects designed the Worldmoon jewel, representing the idea of a Worldmoon.
Martine at TEDxAmsterdam 2010, wearing the Worldmoon jewel
This idea in short: From now on we should send the ashes of our beloved deceased to the moon, where on the fertile ashes of our ancestors a new world will arise. A world that’s everybody’s world, as it’s build on everybody’s ancestors, and thus can be claimed by nobody. This world will have no borders, and no distinction in race, nationality, religion, or culture. Martine: “By thinking about how you would shape a new world, you automatically think about why the current world is shaped as it is. We want to encourage people to think about this matter.”
In general, Martine received two sorts of reactions to her idea. One was a skeptical and practical ‘who’s going to pay for that’. The other was more positive: “A lot of people like the idea as a new way to look at the moon and a new way to commemorate their loved ones, be it just mentally. Nowadays we have friends all over the world, which we can’t all commemorate in traditional ways. But all over the globe we can see the moon, and we can think about deceased people we love by looking at it.”
Further Reading:
• Watch Martine’s talk at TEDxAmsterdam 2010
• Article about Martine’s talk on TEDxAmsterdam 2010
• About DUS Architects
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