Rather than dive deeper into the rabbit hole with exploring the world of death, I would like to pivot to a more metaphysical question: What does it mean to remember?
Below is a quick synopsis of the patterns of memory and examples of art projects that have tried to capture memory.
Internal processing: How does memory work?
Memory is both the physiological and neurological pathways which are mapped in our brain. The hinge of memory is extreme timing and synchronicity of neurons to decode stored segments of memory, like a puzzle.
Learning differs from memory in that neurons fire together and are trained to fire together. Memory depends on learning rather than learning on memory because, in order to recall information, we must first make the association neurologically. The only time this relationship is inverted is when we begin to conjecture or infer patterns.
Collective associations: What surrounds memory?
Collective memory is a sociological relationship of knowledge that exists externally. Particularly as I’ve witnessed this process, it’s through the relationships of words and images, or the simulacrum as Jean Baudrillard discusses in his post-modern critique of reality. He argues that the relationships which exist between pieces of information are hyper-real. The most easy to understand example of this interplay and consciousness is memes, which begin as jokes between texts and images, and yet gain personalities.
“Collective memory is also sustained through a continuous production of representational forms,” according to James E. Young, professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Coupled with the process of digitization, Young argues that second-hand memory is more common now than ever. Collective memory is referential memory, and draws on a spiraling staircase of information which builds each time it is reproduced. Young suggests that this dialogue which has both intentional and unintentionally gives social capital and helps create hierarchy between different people.
Process Journal 