54 DAYS

COLLAGING MEMORIES
ITP Thesis Project 2024

MORE ABOUT THE PROJECT

A collection of daily digital collages created with the intention to redefine how we document, archive, and cherish memories.

The act of daily collaging has evolved into a creative practice that allows me to orchestrate what I want to remember in the future and what I want to leave behind as imprints in the world.
With over 50 collages since this February - one for each day - these pieces offer a glimpse into my life in New York City.

Starting as an experiment in treating my memories like assets, I began taking photos of the important things that happened on each day, and the things I wanted to remember.

I used Photoshop to synthesize them into one composition, aiming to convey additional layers of information beyond what a standalone photo or video can. always keeping in mind that my day needed to be portrayed as it happened - through my eyes.

I found that collaging is a great way of documenting freely,and talking about my day without using words. It soon became an encrypted form of journaling, evolving into my unique language of expression.

Collaging Memories:
Photo Exhibition
April 24th
370 Jay Street Downton Brooklyn NY

Research:

My research journey began with a curiosity about why we feel compelled to capture and preserve moments from our lives. My focus shifted towards unraveling the significance of memories and our selective recollection of life experiences. Exploring the reasons behind documenting a moment and the factors influencing our desire to revisit it, I experimented with various mediums and technologies during a visit to my family in Crete. From 3D scans to audio recordings, video footage, and sketches, I started to abstract and reconstruct the essence of these moments.
Parallelly, I explored the concept of spatial memory, investigating how physical spaces can serve as repositories for our moments and how these can be experienced through space.
Alongside personal exploration, I found inspiration in the archival practices of artists like Shigeko Kubota, the mother of video sculptures , who meticulously documented her life through video and her artistic work embodies memories.
This led me to contemplate the possibility of curating archives that represent our essence and internalizing our sense of importance. Ultimately, my research highlighted the prospect of materializing memories in the physical realm, bridging the ephemeral with the tangible and fluid as well as preserving the important segments and overall feelings.

Thesis Presentation

ITP Thesis Week 2024 - Anna Nikaki from ITP_NYU on Vimeo.

“States” Pointclouds
Much like how memories can fade and become unclear over time, point clouds capture the essence of the original moment in a nebulous form.

They serve as a canvas that prompts our brains to fill in the missing pieces, much like how we do when trying to remember and reconstruct the original moment.

After projecting these point clouds into everyday spaces, I discovered a fondness for being surrounded by them. Similar to having a framed photograph, they allow for coexistence and immersion into past moments but in a more lively and cryptic manner.