Interactive Digital Memory

Creative Director

Keywords

Culture, Memory, Dementia, Well-being, Undisruptive Storytelling

Brief

"The connection with the immersive feelings of the 'self-elicited’ by accessing memories reinforces personhood and identity. There are times when this may have been temporarily fragmented due to a number of factors such as change and stress. Anecdotally, it is well established that emotional memories and other self-referential activities can be triggered powerfully by music. Music is such a sought-after stimulus. It's not necessary for human survival, yet something inside us craves it,” says Petr Janata (Associate Professor at University of California Davis in the Psychology Department and Center for Mind and Brain).

Bushra’s aim was to create a pre-emptive tool to help therapists who work with people affected by memory loss. The idea was to realise a digital memory scrapbook with related non-pharmacological triggers such as smell, touch and music accessed via digital passports and other personal objects. This project used embedded triggers in objects to upload personal videos via blue tooth. The reader of the triggers was further embedded in an old Bush radio used as a jewellery box.

Creative Process

Bushra Burge worked closely with therapists (including dance and drama therapists) and carers looking after dementia patients to iterate an idea around targeted care management through personal narratives related to objects. The aim was to reinstate confidence and a sense of self.

The final electronics was created with engineers from Hackspace.

Content Cross-generational cross cultural. Diaspora. Personal stories Technology Arduino, NFC, BLE, Interactive.

UN Goals