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The Ongoing Archive of Memory Object

A multi-sensory archive to reflect on everyday objects.

See, hear, and touch these living memory organs.

the Ongoing Archive of Memory Object

Type of Work

Interactive installations, interactive projections, interactive sound, multi-sensory experiences


Date

October 2022 - May 2023


Position

Concept designer, Art ist,Director, Storyboard Artist, Cast, Production Designer, Prop Master, Editor, Voice Actor

Cooperation

See specific list at the bottom


Location

London, UK

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This project seeks to create a multisensory platform where individuals can memorialize deceased loved ones and gain fortitude and insight from these memories. Through my work, people can rethink everyday objects with memory and emotion. With newly defined vision, touch, and hearing, these memory objects take on the significance and vitality of sentient entities.

 

The work consists of three parts: physical installation, sound, and interactive projection.

 

The main part is the physical installation, which consists of five transparent objects that emit white noise. When the collection of installations detects a visitor's approach, each object emits its white noise as if telling people something. These objects are made of soft, transparent wax and resin, and their structure and nerves can be seen outside. Touching them gives a soft, elastic feeling, as if a kind of organ is in front of the audience. The light and shadow of the objects surround the audience. The interactive projection next to them is a conceptual energy flow that leads people to another level of reflection.

vessels of meaning and significance

 

Some people mourn the loss of family members or friends for a long time and cannot let go. They often feel disconnected from the world and experience emptiness and loss. I want to do something for these people to make them feel moved and warm. I want to convey the central message that "although the people we love and our friends may no longer be in this world, their love and care still accompany us." and "They continue to exist in another form within us."

 

The core of The Ongoing Archive of Memory Object is the vessels that carry specific memories, emotions, and energy. These objects are containers that hold meaning, significance, stories, and experiences that connect us to the past and shape our present. Many objects play ordinary roles in our lives, and the symbolism of objects is highly personalized. These recreated objects are meaningful to the people involved and provide a space for unique, free associations and memories for a wider audience. Anyone can project their ideas and meanings into the vessels.

I hope to go beyond image-based memory. Everyone has virtual objects that resonate with them. Autobiographical memory allows for self-reflection and thinking, which subtly impacts our lives. As the saying goes, autobiographical memory will enable us to understand I know my life has meaning. Objects are containers of memory and emotion, and this is where everything begins. When an object carries these functions, it gains energy and meaning. The inspiration for my object creation comes from the concept of Quasi-objects, which transform objects based on different stories and emotions and turns them into visual effects. In the eyes of people full of memories and emotions, objects can even breathe and speak, as if touching them can connect them to people from another world.

My works are inspired by collecting people's stories and reshaping everyday objects through memory and emotion into a collection of living beings capable of emitting their white noise. My creations aim to create a multi-sensory interactive experience that explores objects as containers of memory of meaning. In this way, I hope to help people cope with the passing of a loved one or friend while providing a space and vehicle for the association for a broader range of people, allowing each to project their meaning into these containers.

 

In contemporary society, we often overlook the deep meaning and emotional value that objects carry. However, I firmly believe that every object is a vessel steeped in memories and emotions and that they serve as a bridge between us and our departed loved ones or friends. By collecting people's stories, I strive to capture the personal and collective memories contained in objects and reshape them into a collection of living beings in the form of creative work.

 

The process involves selecting, collecting, and reinventing. I select objects that have a special connection to a departed loved one or friend. I then reshape them through artistic techniques, giving them a unique organ-like form and a voice. These sounds are not only the self-expression of the objects but also serve as a bridge to create an emotional connection between the viewer and the objects, creating a holistic perceptual experience and conversation.

 

My creations aim to go beyond the personal story and provide a space and vehicle for the association for a wider audience. These collections of objects hold deep meaning for the person in question and allow others to engage and empathize. The viewer can project their memories, emotions, and meanings into these containers, interacting with the work and creating a unique experience.

The collection of objects becomes an open space, a bridge between memory, emotion, and meaning. They are both a memorial to a loved one or friend who has passed away and a place for reflection, contemplation, and sharing. Through art, I hope to create a warm and safe inner space for each person to find relief and hope. This approach to creation is a recreation of objects and memories and an exploration of the meaning of life and existence. In the process, each person can resonate with the work and recreate their meanings and feelings.

 

The archive is always on

 

As this is an ongoing piece, viewers who wish to share their memorabilia can go to the artwork website and describe it and get in touch. This is not only a real-time experience in the exhibition, but also a long-term interactive collection that offers a new way of archiving and holding memories and emotions.

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Want to share your memory object?

You may see your object in the following exhibition

Please complete the form on the right to share your story.

顆粒狀表面

You have successfully archived your memory object

The process of the project

Special Thanks

-Personal Tutor-

Nestor Pestana

-XR Tutor-

Kristina Cranfeld

 

-Specialist Feedback-

Barbara Tversky

Golan Levin

Chris Milk

Sandra Nielsen (Studio Olafur Eliasson)

 

-Cooperation-

Cinematographer: Xingyu Dai (Ashley)

Set Decorator: Shiqi Zhang (Amber)

Voice Actor: Polly

Technical Support: Haiqiang Wang, Shutao Zong

 

-Special Thanks-

Hairong Yang

朱桂芬

Jiayi Chen

赖尔圭

Momoko

Yang Huang

Lillia

Xirui Liao

Yue Zhuo

Qianhao Chen

Iwona Zabrocka

Jenny Huang

Yueshen Wu (Bryan)

Xiaotian Gao

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