HUGE THANKS TO ALL WHO TOOK PART IN OUR RESEARCH! We are currently analysing our results, and will add these here as soon as they are published.
The Research outline
There are times when our loved ones are far away, and we wish with all our hearts that we could share a moment with them, as if by magic. Historically, jewelry was used as love tokens, mementos and keepsake as far back as ancient Mesopotamia. These objects gave a tangible presence of the loved one, and the fact that the practice still endures in modern times, speaks for its importance. However, once given, the giver lost the thread of connection, and once received, the wearer had to rely on imagination. And despite being common folklore and sci-fi fantasies, being able to communicate through objects like jewelry was inconceivable just a few years ago.
In this research, we are not interested in turing sentimental jewelry into another communication device, like the the phone. Instead, we are interested in understanding what qualities are needed to preserve the tenderness of mementos and love tokens, while enchanting them through technology. Learning about these would help to devise future connected computational jewelry and prevent it from becoming just another gadget.
