When memories return in fragments: an exploration into a "sense of place" through sensory memory stimulation

• Main Author: Shay, Steiner Claudia Ting Ru
• Other Authors: Veronica Ranner
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2023
• Subjects: Visual arts and music::Design::Product
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/168195
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

This thesis aims to explore the concept of “a sense of place” through sensory memory recollection. The interest in this research topic is based on my personal experience struggling to recall my childhood memories from ages 7 and under. With the passage of time, my ability to recount them seemed to become less accurate or vivid, almost as if the memory had been broken into fragments. This piqued my interest in further examining how tangible aspects of memories in a design, such as materials and finishes, can be used to communicate the psychological and emotional ties of belonging to a physical place. As a person of bi-racial descent, my childhood was spent moving back and forth between Singapore and a small town near Stuttgart, Germany where my maternal and paternal families respectively lived. As such, my childhood memories are scattered across these locations. These buried memories resurge when I receive sensory cues like familiar sounds or touch distinctive textures like the stuffed toys. These experiences with sensory memories set the premise of my thesis’ central exploration. When Memories Return in Fragments is an interactive installation that creates a sensorial environment embodying the concept of "a sense of place", through various tactile, visual, and auditory stimulations. In doing so, this installation aims to engage the viewers to experience the process of recollecting memories. This is created through a sensorial environment for viewers to experience how memories can be recollected, and triggered by different sensorial stimulations - tactile, visual, and auditory. To connect with the origin of my memories, soil from both countries was collected along with organic materials and atmospheric sound recordings. The ceramic sculptures were made by processing the native soil into wild clay, and their surface textures were adapted from microscope scans of the organic materials from Singapore and Germany. The atmospheric sounds of nature recorded from these familiar environments add to the immersive experience. These soundscapes are reminiscent of my familiar childhood environments in Singapore and Germany. Interacting with the textures on some sculptures triggers different atmospheric soundscapes to play. This immersive experience asks viewers to question the simplicities of memory making, whilst a contrasting complex sensorial environment forces them to think about their own memories.