Memories on the Wall

memories on the wall reimagines the traditional mirror by transforming it from a passive reflective surface into an interactive digital archive. By gazing back, this piece influences/directs the viewer’s interactions around it, staging a ‘theater’ of memories enacted by the viewers/actors.

The installation consists of a monitor that functions as a mirror, displaying a live video stream of viewers standing before it. However, unlike a conventional mirror, this piece captures and preserves traces of its observers. Just before someone exits the frame, the system automatically takes their snapshot, which becomes part of an evolving visual archive. These archived images periodically overlay the live video stream, creating a temporal palimpsest of past and present viewers.

The sonic dimension of the piece parallels this visual accumulation. When the system detects a viewer, it records a one-second sample of ambient sound. This audio snippet is then processed through a granular synthesizer with dynamic parameters and played in a loop until the next viewer triggers a new recording. This granular-like looper creates an ever-evolving soundscape that echoes the visual layering of memories.

Through this interaction between present moments and preserved memories, memories on the wall challenges our conventional understanding of mirrors and other objects as passive. The piece suggests an alternative paradigm where mirrors actively collect, retain impressions, and surveil those gazing into them, creating a repository of visual and sonic data/memories.

On documentation: the video above is a demo of the system rather than exhibition footage; the full setup appears from 01:36.