Vanitas is a new iPhone app described as “a memento mori for your digital hands”, inviting you to contemplate on your own mortality.

Memento Mori is a Latin phrase which translates to “Remember that you must die”, and is the name of a genre of art throughout history, which is themed along the same premise : to remind people that they must die.

To lift you up when you are feeling down.  And drag you down when you’re up too high.

Everything flows, nothing remains.

Vanity of vanities, all is vanity!

Life is the farce we are all forced to endure.

Sometimes, when you are depressed, it’s good to see something depressing.

A contemplation of the fleetingness of life.  To help appreciate what you have.

A meditative experience.  A spiritual toy.  A reminder of the preciousness of life.

Referring to the still life paintings from the 16th and 17th century, Vanitas presents you with a gorgeously rendered 3D box filled with intriguing objects.  Close the box and open it again to see new objects.  You can move the objects by tilting your iPhone or pushing and dragging the objects with your fingers to create pleasant arrangements that inspire and enchant.  Some objects decay.  A flower blooms.  A bubble pops.  Life like an empty dream flits by…

Via Aaron Muszalski at Laughing Squid

Tags: iPhone, Momento Mori

This entry was posted on Friday, February 19th, 2010 at 7:00 AM and is filed under Art, domestigoth, Visual Stimuli. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

1. Monday Says:
   February 19th, 2010 at 7:08 AM

   memento. not momento.

   …not to be annoying or anything.

2. Samantha Says:
   February 19th, 2010 at 8:30 AM

   good eye!

3. Madame G Says:
   February 19th, 2010 at 9:23 AM

   That’ll be getting downloaded this evening – thanks!

4. Lo Zephyr Says:
   February 19th, 2010 at 10:42 AM

   Ah, I want, no, NEED this! I live by those words!

5. ornith Says:
   February 19th, 2010 at 9:52 PM

   aw, yet another neat app with no android version.

6. Corvida Says:
   February 20th, 2010 at 9:50 AM

   The people behind Vanitas, Tale of Tales, also made one of my favorite games ever (if you can even think of it as a computer game): The Path. It’s hard to describe precisely… based on Little Red Riding Hood, decisions you make affect the outcome of the story, absolutely gorgeous and thought-provoking, very macabre, soundtrack by Jarboe!

7. All Women Stalker Says:
   February 21st, 2010 at 6:31 PM

   If I had an iPhone, I would definitely get this app.