Brief: Design an experience that externalises the nature of memory
Teammates: Cat Achieng, Moxue Jia, Zhaolu Song
From Encoding to Retrieval
Memory is involved in processing vast amounts of information. This information takes many different forms, e.g. images, sounds or meaning. (McLeod, 2007)
If import memory is an encoding process of changing information into knowledge, then externalizing memory could be a retrieval process of transforming knowledge into stories.
While we input the information as memories through visual , acoustic, semantic encoding, we can also output memories back into pictures, sounds, meanings with personal emotions.
However, during the memory storage phase, a few memories are "broken".
"Broken" Memory
As a metaphor, a broken memory I interpreted as an incomplete memory. During the three stages of encoding, storage and retrieval, a few memories were missing and turned into fragmented or wrong pieces. The remaining memories must be very important or impressive so as to be saved. As we have in our lives, there are many objects that are broken or unusable, but we still keep as there are some meaningful memories hidden on them. I wish to externalize these memories that were deeply rooted, but, how?
金継ぎ
Kintsugi (金継ぎ, "golden joinery"), is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with with powdered gold.
The idea is that "what was once broken, is now more beautiful and unique." Molawka (2019).
Collar (2020) explained this phase as the artists frees their emotions and confronts them by creating objects that will eventually have lost their primary purpose, but not their importance.
This technique gave me ideas that broken objects are not something to hide but to display with pride. Repairing broken objects with surprising materials as a way to externalize beautiful beautiful memories that are sleeping in them.
Artefact vs Story / Objective vs Subjective
In this concept, two research methods “Artefact Analysis“ and "Storytelling" helped us to better analyze broken items and explore the memories within them. One is a rational analysis of an object by the designers and another is listening to an emotional story from tellers. Objective and subjective in parallel allowed us to complete the study properly.
For better analyzing, I make a worksheet, so that we can observe objects from multiple angles.
Explore Stories
After brainstorming, our tasks turned into find volunteers to share broken objects and stories with. We interviewed some of our families and friends online, in the end, we chose the following 3 stories that moved us the most.
Please switch to view all stories
Fix Memories On Objects
The restoration task did challenge us because the objects we collected weren't literally broken and we didn't want to actually destroy them and repair them in order to follow our concept. We tried to find a way to present memories on objects in a harmless way. For Anita's plate, we drew a portrait of Anita's face (what she looked like in cat's memory) with glitter powder; For Ryan's bracelet, Moxue printed Ryan and his girlfriends' picture out in a tiny size then glued them to the bracelet. For John's radio, we really had no idea! because John didn't want to make any changes to it and we didn't know how to repair electronic equipment either!
Presentation & Feedback
During the presentation, we stated our ideas and exhibited our artworks, and also raised our difficulty which is we didn't literally want to destroy an object and repair it in our way. The class suggested us maybe we could place all objects in an environment, while also reminding us that we needed to design an immersive experience rather than artwork.
References
Collater (2020) Glen Martin Taylor And His Reconstructed Ceramics. Available at: https://www.collater.al/en/giorgia-bellotti-paratissima-interview-photography/ (Accessed 19 November 2020).
Glen.M.T (2020) ceramics. Available at: https://www.instagram.com/p/CJOGXCGjUe0/?igshid=2da443spxq0y Accessed: 17 November 2020).
McLeod, S.A. (2007). Stages of memory-encoding storage and retrieval. Retrieved, 21, p.2015.
Molawka, E. (2019) Kintsugi.