Beginning close to the end of their Fall semester in 2018, Emma Goldman began working on an art piece for their Visual Poetics and Narrative course final. Through which, they began research into the (sometimes overwhelming) presence of technology that exists within the confines of a tech/STEM school – notably in the ways we process the things going on in front of us.
This positing and, as predicted, (somewhat) overwhelming process brought forth a great deal to ponder – and (re)experience. Specifically emerging, and directly relevant in/to their present digitally-infatuated environment, are the ways many of us are constantly tied to our smart devices. So much of what we consider to be our memory is logged in a digital cloud – the actual experiences we have behind those moments, how we interpret said moments (personally experienced then digitized), and their representation. Thus emerged a mystified Goldman – supplied with an interest and desire to explore these Meditations on Memory.
Goldman wanted to build an environment where viewers would be wholly encompassed by familiar imagery – not necessarily that of their own mind, but more of a projection (literally and figuratively) of familiarity. This environment features a setting surrounded by three projected video, affording viewers the ability to exist in a space bringing them in and out of their own memory and, hopefully, urging them think a bit more about the way we process information.
Continuing this work, Goldman’s focus has not shifted away from memory, but over to how memory is affected not only by the digital influence, but also personal challenges such as mental illness, and dissociation.
The final product of this project will ideally be a set of portable pieces for an installation that can transform given the space it’s in. Changing and growing with the audience to become something that is more than just video on a wall. Challenging the ways that we look at screens and others hopefully to be more supportive and honest overall.
Team
Emma Goldman – Project Head
