Shared Memories

Shared Memories is an immersive 360° installation in which anonymous memories are translated into an abstract symphony of light and sound. It invites visitors to pause, connect with the memories of others and rediscover their own emotions and experiences.

Visitors choose a sign with one word related to a memory and place it on a central plinth. This activates the corresponding audiovisual memory. Only after experiencing the memory can they turn the sign over and read about the actual memory. Thus, visitors first get the chance to explore their own memories and a personal experience before the played-back memory is revealed. Shared Memories researches how something as personal as a memory can be translated into a collective experience.

The jury on Shared Memories:

Shared Memories is a 360° installation that evokes a powerful emotional experience with minimal resources of light and sound. By translating anonymous memories into a spatial experience, the work invites visitors to rediscover their own memories. The process is user-friendly and straightforward, while the concept also offers great potential for wider application.

What does this award mean to you?

The Henry van de Velde Award feels like an invitation to continue growing and exploring. It not only shows appreciation for the result, but also the vision behind the work. The award showcases our project, opens new doors and motivates us to expand it.

Shared Memories was born out of the enthusiasm to explore new techniques and skills, both visually and technically. We learnt a lot in a short space of time. Consequently, the process was at least as important to us as the end result.

The fact that it has now been received so positively by the jury feels like confirmation of how valuable it is to keep experimenting, to dare to step out of your comfort zone and use curiosity as the driving force.

How did the idea for this project come about?

The idea for Shared Memories emerged from the concept of building an audiovisual installation in which we could work in an abstract way. We share a passion for lighting installations and motion design, and were keen to translate this knowledge into a physical space where images and sound become tangible.

The choice to work with memories resulted from the question of how to translate something so personal into image and sound. Often, classic media literally show what was there, while we wanted to target the emotional layer. By deliberately limiting ourselves to minimal resources, we intuitively sought ways to evoke feeling and memories without literally displaying them.

What makes your project so special?

What makes Shared Memories special is the space it leaves for personal interpretation. The viewer is given the freedom to make their own connections with their specific memories and experiences. We work with anonymous memories, but by sharing their experience, we connect them to the viewer’s personal memory. We find that shared experience, where something universal emerges from something anonymous, particularly fascinating.

It is an artistic project with no commercial purpose, achieved without a budget but with the help and involvement of the people around us. That collaborative effort and the openness with which the work was created contribute just as much to what makes it special.

How does it contribute to a better world?

Shared Memories contributes to a better world by connecting people in an empathetic way. The installation invites visitors to reflect on the memories of others as well as their own emotions. This shared experience creates a sense of connection and understanding, something often lacking in everyday life. The project encourages curiosity and openness: memories and emotions turn out to be both unique and universal.

Do you have any further plans for this project?

We have always said that we would like Shared Memories to live on, and this recognition feels like the perfect time to actually pursue that. The positive reception by the jury confirms the idea that the project touches people and invites them to experience it. We look forward to building on the concept, growing the installation and sharing it with a wider audience. We hope that new opportunities for this project will emerge from this publicity.