ARSENY FINKELSTEIN

TRASH MEMORIES
(MEMORY SIMULATOR)

What do memories look like? Can a computer memory simulate the human perception of the past? Formed around a concrete anchoring scene, our memories often break up into a mosaic of associations at the very moment we try to grasp them, thus creating new, stunning visuals. This inherent capacity for mnemonic diversity is challenged by the rapid expansion of personal and social media, leading to a replacement of an elusive memory by a frozen digital replica. However, the accessibility of such transformation leads to a constant devaluation and smearing of the original record, due to accumulation of associated 'digital trash'.
Here I explore the fusion of 'trash [computer] memories', in an attempt to recreate the visual ambiguity associated with the natural process of recollection. The distortion of autobiographical memory by machine memory opens the discussion regarding the influence of new storage formats on self-perception in the era of permanent ego-documentary.