Memories Revised

2016. wearable gadget and digital memories archive. EEG headset, 360 camera, custom software, PC, VR headset
*idea was first proposed during conversation with Lee Montgomery and Claudia X Valdez at the University of New Mexico during my CEC ArtsLink residency there.

Some of the most disruptive changes to social forms are brought by communication technologies, those that allow mass capturing and sharing. “Best Memories Revised” addresses the notorious obsession to capture all our experiences, which is usually followed by a withdrawal of the experience itself.

Normally, when you experience something that you would like to share with your friends or save as a memory of that wonderful event you have to grab your smartphone, open camera app and then take some pictures. Suppose the thing is still there, you have not missed it and successfully shot your footage, instead of enjoying that moment. Now you have a 2 dimensional pixel array, or a sequence of them, which you would then view on the same palm-sized screen.

But is it a fair representation of that experience? Would you get more of that moment if you would not spend time on capturing it?
Best Memories Revised is a wearable gadget, which combines EEG headset and a spherical camera. EEG data is interpreted into excitement and engagement metrics, when these two reach certain threshold camera starts shooting, therefore automatically capturing your most exciting and engaging moments. You don't have to look aside for your camera - just let yourself be engaged and excited and all the capturing routine happens automatically on the background. As far as the camera is a spherical one, it captures all the environment around you, so that later you or anyone else can literally dive back into that moment using VR headset.

For the reasons of technical limitations and social non-acceptability of such a gadget, it is located somewhere inbetween science, fiction and commercial product, where I see a perfect place for an artistic gesture. This in-betweenness shaped the subtly ironical video documentation of the project