The Clash: exploring memory through the materiality of digital and traditional art

Abstract

My MFA thesis project, The Clash, explores memory processes and the conflicts of materiality between traditional and digital media through an immersive, interactive installation using projection mapping and visual effects. My traditional media paintings with their specific tactile materiality are digitally expanded and re-explored with visual programming and animation techniques and occasionally using generative AI. The project creates a spatial experience inviting viewers to physically engage with my memories in a dynamic process of change. The imagery in the installation is drawn from my personal experiences, including places, objects, and cultural symbols, which are interpreted and recontextualized through digital means. These visuals reflect how memories of my past experiences are continuously reshaping and merging with new ones while becoming altered due to my changing environment. By allowing the audience to activate and navigate the installation space, the project encourages both personal reflection and broader contemplation of how memories are visualized and communicated in art while altered by the material properties characterizing the medium of artistic expression. Ultimately, The Clash contributes to ongoing conversations about cultural continuity and the transformation of memories in the digital age.