The project A Moment (共此时, gong ci shi) is inspired by a famous Chinese poem ‘天涯共此时,’ which means ‘a moment is echoed far and apart,’ written by Jiuling Zhang in 736 A.D. ‘共此时’ refers to the sense of being in the same experiential moment with someone else, at the same time, regardless of location.

A Moment enables remote user interaction in two interlinked ways. First, the project explores how bio-signals, such as heart rate, might improve communication and companionship at a distance. Heart rate is measured by a smartwatch, then transmitted to users’ smartphones and expressed as vibration, as augmented reality messages, and as light frequency.

Second, drawing upon architectural mnemonics and historian Frances Yates’s 1996 book ‘The Art of Memory’, a spatial connection between physical and virtual places is established. Gathered objects are collected to create a shared space, the Memory Space. Objects in both places are catalogued and grouped into four categories based personal data, objective goals, interactive information, and social information. Individuals can access this space through a smartphone application and through head-mounted devices.