Hello, my name is Daisuke Uriu, Project Lecturer at the Information Somatics Lab in The University
of Tokyo.
I’d like to introduce our research called “Generating the Presence of Remote Mourners:
a Case Study of Funeral Webcasting in Japan.”
In the middle of June, 2020, we had a sudden opportunity to webcast a funeral, connecting
a funeral hall with bereaved relatives who were unable to attend in person.
We were given this opportunity because our lab had a strong connection with the widow
of the deceased.
The deceased was a man named Takashi who passed away at age 74.
He was the second-youngest of eight siblings.
Only his two sisters were able to physically attend the funeral.
The others decided not to join due to the risk of COVID-19 and their decreasing physical
strength.
Throughout this webcasting, we endeavored to transfer the “presence” of the siblings
to the funeral hall.
In particular, we aimed to allow them to feel as if they were really attending the funeral:
holding farewell rituals, talking to the deceased and giving him farewell messages, and, more
generally, really existing in the same place and time with the other attendees.
On the technical side, we prepared our original telepresence system consisting of a 360-degree
camera, microphone and speakers.
We placed three of these modules in the hall.
We envisioned that the remote attendees would virtually stand at selected points in the
hall.
Unfortunately, however, our system did not worked well when they were needed most.
In addition, we found that neither the funeral hall nor the remote attendees’ houses had
the high speed Internet connection necessary to support 360-degree video streaming.
As a result, the performance of our system was worse than the zoom on iPhones, not only
in terms of image and sound quality, also in terms of mobility.
Hence, the siblings remotely attending the funeral used our system at first, but ended
up using zoom almost all time by the end of the funeral rites.
From here, I’d like to explain what the siblings actually experienced during the funeral.
A typical Japanese funeral takes two days.
At the beginning of the first day, they were interested in and focused on information which
is generally important at Japanese funerals.
After the first day’s rites, the widow, Takako, showed the deceased’s, Takashi’s,
face to the siblings via Zoom and thanked them.
At the end of the second day, before that the deceased departed for the crematorium,
all physical attendees filled Takashi’s casket with flowers.
At this point, I held an iPhone close to the deceased’s face with the speakers on to
allow Takeshi’s older brother to say his farewells as the physical attendees listened.
In this case study, we, the authors, participated in the funeral as Remote Funeral Conductors
(RFCs): death workers in charge of webcasts and Telepresence at funerals.
An RFC has to not only understand the technical aspects of webcasting and how to generate
remote presences, but also know the sequences and manners of funerals and perform as mourners
while conducting webcasting.
In fact, we did shoko (incense tip) rituals along with the other attendees, because we
were interpreted as being mourners in addition to being technical staff.
Lastly, I’d like to share some implications for designers who are looking to produce funeral
webcasts.
The first is interactivity: we must design a way of exchanging a sense of presence between
the physical and remote attendees.
The second is cinematography: we must understand what to focus and capture at funerals.
The third is that we must remember Remote Funeral Conductor.
While this is still a developing role, designers should carefully consider the role they play
when they produce funeral webcasts.
Finally, the fourth is cultural differences.
In this research, we reported a case in Japan.
However, the role RFCs play and the factors important for generating a sense of presence
may differ in different cultures.
More work is required to discuss how valuable funeral webcasting could be provided all over
the world.
That’s all.
Thank you for listening!