Hi, so this blog post is mostly to get pen to paper and reorient me back into thesis mode. These are an important next couple of weeks, as is every week. I plan on doing preliminary experiments and find and get close to a subject. Here is my proposal draft post if you want to get up to speed with my project. Not much has changed from my final submission.

I like to say I am designing someone’s interior mind space in the real world

Here’s what’s on my mind and experiment ideas

The “Deep Cut” Memories

Yes, I have been fascinated with our Greatest Hits objects that represent core memories, but I’m also interested in the less important objects that we associate with “smaller moments.” Our brains are so selective about what to hold on to. The world feels small, time feels short. If you dig into the random objects, time expands. Hours and hours, and months are there that you never realized. There’s so much there that doesn’t make the Greatest Hits Tape. There’s something freeing about remembering every little detail. Maybe it’s a receipt from a really good cup of coffee you had one day. It’s just special to have an object, big or small, remind you of a particular time and place

Memory Mine Experiment:

  • For one or two days, I will document every little thing I own to the nth radically. There are memories all around me, I just don’t know it. I will catalog everything, even the mundane objects. This can turn into an archive of every little memory. Everything will be recorded with a tag of time and place and its significance.
  • What if I turned this experiment into a game for someone else? It becomes a memory mining game/ exercise. I could interview someone and ask them to identify every object around them. Essentially, I would be documenting this person’s missing timeline, exploring the forgotten objects, the not-though-about memories.
  • I could also ask about the memories they don’t have their own objects. Have they lost their memory object or maybe they don’t have one? We all have memories that stick out but don’t have objects attached to them. If they were to assign an object, what would that be?
  • From here, I will decide what I feel capture’s this person’s essence and what should be included in my diorama. I will hand-fabricate each artifact.

Stealing Memories/ Memory Exchange

  • This one is silly and maybe a little impractical. I may want to conduct an experiment of stealing objects from people without telling them. Seeing how they respond can be revealing. Or maybe I can flip this. Can I invite someone to take something from me? 
  • I’m also interested in collaborative objects and layering meaning on top of objects. Maybe I could do a Memory Exchange, where I borrow a meaningful object from one and allow someone else to take one of mine. What memories can I layer on top of their object?

Something I must do soon: Rapid Collection Experiment

  • I will ask someone this week to collect objects. I want them to walk me through these objects. What resonates with them? What memories stand out? Do they have a connection to everything?
  • I need to roughly map out what objects I would include in my diorama if I were to profile this person. I should also do this with myself.

Museum Research

Something I noted in my proposal but I am also interested in redefining the traditional museum experience. Instead of an exhibit recounting someone’s life through biographical details and facts, I am creating a multi-media exhibit that you can touch, play with, and most of all, feel. I believe the best biographies are void of facts. The best way to learn about someone is to harness feelings. 

  • Maybe I should explore virtual museum exhibits that profile a particular subject. I could jot down what kind of information they include (stories, data, facts). What questions I have about the person. Did I feel a connection to that person. Overall, explore the limitations of current museums to inform my project.