Malfunctioned Memories

Speculate a future which is set in year 2035, where people are implanted with technologies that collect information such as heart rate, brain waves, emotions, feelings etc. and enhancements like artificial retinas that add an extra layer of information to sight, cochlear implants to listen to the perfect pitch etc., which distribute information.

Such volumes of information devices and the intelligent learning abilities has catered to a system that can understand any individual and then make projections of the individual in its own digital ways. By the rules, these projections are not supposed to conflict with the the conscious self.

Clustering of so much of data, has diluted the boundary between private and public. Every bit of information that one generates is processed, churned and analysed to provide customized returns. It has simplified the lives of the people but at the same time have quantified and bucketed them. A sense of vulnerability has created a distinct split between the people who want to share information and those who do not.

‘The wall of Malfunctioned memories’, an experiential piece that talks about these growing insecurities in the society due to the continual sharing of data in huge amounts. This project tries to look at a set of malfunctioned records from the life of an individual to reflect upon oppression that might start with the data capitalist rising to power.

‘Retina Vision Z’ is the AR app used to interface with these memories. The wall of malfunctioned memories was the graduation project of Photography Design 2012 student Debanshu Bhaumik. My role in this project was to explore Augmented Reality tools within Vuforia and develop the Retina Vision Z app.