2065
Marriage is a social construction. With the society order changing over time, the meaning of marriage and the style of wedding rings will also change. It is said that technological singularity will be the turning point of the human race. The alarmingly fast development of artificial intelligence, space colonization, genetic modification, and nanotechnology are bound to reshape human society, subsequently affecting the meaning of marriage. What would wedding rings look like then? This series has explored three different types of future marriage — Interspecies Marriage (marriage between a Human and an AI), Interstellar Marriage (marriage between an Earthling and a Martian), and Renewable Marriage (marriage between two amortals) to give insights into our future love life in 2065.
Beijing, China, 2019.
INTERSTELLAR MARRIAGE FOR EARTHLING & MARTIAN
The average duration of the day-night cycle on Mars is 24 hours 39 minutes and 35.244 seconds, whereas on earth it is 24 hours, thus the time difference between the two planets is constantly changing, and their time will never be synchronized. For this super long-distance relationship, a set of wedding rings was designed with the function of a watch. The ring for Earthling can tell the time on mars, while the ring for Martian can show the earth’s time. By exchanging their time, the two can keep pace with each other.
INTERSPECIES MARRIAGE FOR HUMAN & AI
Humans and AI are both intelligent beings, but there is a huge difference between their physicality. While human reside in a carbon-based body, AI residence in a silicon-based device. This greatly affects their nonverbal communication and their different way of wearing wedding rings. Inspired by the traditional Lover’s Eye jewellery, the form of camera lens serving as the eye of AI is adopted and made into the design of the physical ring for the human. Similarly, the shape of the human eyes is used in the design of the virtual ring for AI stored in a hard drive.
FlEXIBLE MARRIAGE FOR A-MORTAL’S
With the development of life extension technology, the average human lifespan is continuously increasing. The existing main form of marriage in which two people are committed to each other for a lifetime is no longer practical. In a renewable marriage, a couple may end their relationship or renew their wedlease after a set period of time. In accordance with this form of marriage, a set of hollow rings are designed. Every time a couple renews their wedlease, a diamond would be added to the ring. The longer the marriage, the more valuable the ring is. But if they choose to end their marriage, their wedding rings are still a symbol of a complete love story.
