The All Souls Day Project was inspired from the simple concept of water being depicted as an eternal cycle of transition from life to death and vice versa.

Water can be portrayed as a symbol of life, given its nurturing capabilities and the ability to sustain all forms of life including humans. However, water can be also flipped around to be the symbol of death. From natural disasters like floods and tsunamis that have taken away countless lives to the simple act of scattering ashes into the sea, both convey the basic idea of water as the symbol of death.

As we pass through life and death, we are constantly made up and disintegrated into the 5 different elements respectively – namely, Earth, Fire, Metal, Wood and, of course, Water. Each individual being is made up of a different construct; some may be “more water” or “more wood” than others.

Marrying the idea of water as the eternal cycle of life and death together with the concept of Qing Ming Festival (or otherwise popularly known as Tomb Sweeping Day amongst locals) is The All Souls Day Project.

Poster

Inspired from Qing Ming Festival, this project is a modern update on an old tradition with the same intentions of paying our respects and remembering our ancestors and our loved ones who have departed.

The All Souls Day Project provides an alternative platform for all Singaporeans, especially if they are living overseas and unable to honor their ancestors or just for keeping memories of families and friends who have passed on. It is open to foreigners in Singapore who wants to be part of this project as well.

Video

During this month long campaign (18 March to 15 April 2012), participants can make their own memorabilia to remember their loved ones who have passed away. This memorabilia is made up of a central ring formation and a paper note hanging below it. The form as well as the various components of this memorabilia holds deep significance and meaning.

• The Ring Formation : Building on the concept of water as an eternal cycle of life and death, water can be both a source of life and death. We are born from water (e.g. amniotic fluids, semen), life is sustained through water, and in death, we return back to water. This cycle of life through water repeats for eternity in everyone because water plays an integral role in life and death.
• The 10 Dots : In life, we are made up of different compositions of the 5 Agents (water, wood, metal, earth and fire) making us unique individuals. In death, we disintegrate into these 5 different elements as well. The two rings with 5 holes each represents the five elements in life and death.
• The Act of Threading : Threading though different holes exemplifies the concept of a body going though life and death in an endless cycle. This eternity is achieved as you trace the thread in the ring formation as it goes on and on.The final tessellation of the thread differs individually. This differentiation represents the uniqueness of everyone including those that passed on.
• The Final Form : “Remembrance”, as it is known, resembles widely of a dreamcatcher. But instead of catching dreams, it holds in memories of our loved ones who have passed on.

Additionally, notes can be written on the paper provided describing what you remember most about your loved one.

Campaign Press Kit

Campaign press kits will be delivered randomly to households where they can use it for their own or send it to families and friends living overseas. Promotional posters and video clips will be placed up to increase awareness about this campaign.

The press kit contains, the ring formation, colored threads to represent the different elements, needles, blank notes as well as a leaflet with more information about this project and basic instructions on how to make your own memorabilia.

Leaflet

Additionally, there will be an online platform where participants can share memories of their loved ones together with photos of their memorabilia. Those who did not receive their press kits can make digital versions of the memorabilia and post it online. They are also able to browse through the photo gallery to see other participants’ memorabilia and comment on it.

Website

The website integrates with social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook to bring this campaign worldwide by sharing or retweeting it.

With each passing year, this project aims to cover more grounds in terms of countries participating and hopefully it will be able to achieve that through the help of social media.