Designers and engineers are reconceptualising how we pay our respects, through a desert graveyard featuring high-tech Pyramids.
At face value, this graveyard is reminiscent of a dystopic, futuristic landscape. However, an intelligent and powerful message about sustainability and grieving can be found, just below the surface.
Fictive Kin are a group of Brooklyn designers and engineers that have united to create a project called ‘Pyramid City’.
Following the restrictions that the COVID-19 pandemic placed on everyday life, this innovative team saw an opportunity to reimagine the way we pay respect to our loved ones.
The limitations that remote graveyards and virtual ceremonies place on mourning appeared outdated to the team.
They sought to abolish restrictions on this practice, that are commonly influenced by geographic location and travel fares.
So it’s no surprise that frustrations are high across the global community regarding abilities to attend funerals during the pandemic.
Can these selfish people just stay the fuck home & follow COVID-19 restrictions? I already missed my aunt’s funeral on Monday, another aunt is in the hospital ALONE & my granduncle mightn’t make it through this weekend & we can’t be there with them.
This is so fucking hard.
— 🌺 jana 🌺 (@sareenfj) May 28, 2021
Pyramid City is a sustainable graveyard, that’s being heralded as the solution to this.
It’s basically a city with one thousand physical pyramids that will be built in the American desert. The aim is to allow a space where life can be celebrated, by connecting the individual to a community.
There are 500 spaces available, with the option to invest in an entire pyramid or to share a memorial space.
Family members can personalise their Pyramids with personal memorabilia and “sustainably-cremated remains“, regardless of full or shared ownership.
Me, sustainably-cremated, waiting for my friends throw my remains in a sexy, futuristic pyramid? Groundbreaking.
Pyramid City will be accessible in real time and virtually, with a guaranteed intimate experience.
There will be resources available to help family members connect with their deceased loved ones, even when they’re far away:
“We’re designing a virtual memorial that simultaneously exists online, allowing you to grieve in an intimate space when you wish you were near.”
Fictive Kin aimed to set the price at a reasonable standard, ensuring accessibility for anyone, regardless of financial status.
The option for a full refund at any point is also available.
Additionally, people who reserve a space will remain informed on the location and any updates regarding the project. For those who are interested, reservations are currently being accepted, from $99.
The exact location will be released in September 2021, with completion expected around the beginning of 2022.
This sustainable approach to burial and remembrance is essential, particularly in the wake of an ageing population and global overcrowding. Plus, it will allow us to live out our fantasies as Egyptian God’s and Goddesses.
