Archival
Creating an experiential archive of a person.
An exploration of AI
Overview
Over a three-week timeline, I collaborated with Sabrina Copeland to create an archive for a person’s life. The goal was not to design an app, but rather to create a meaningful way to connect with those who have passed and to organize their life in a thoughtful, accessible manner. One aspect we were particularly curious about exploring was the role of AI in this process.
Thinking
The Ethics
One key principle we both agreed on from the start: no hologram representations of people. Our focus was on respecting individual privacy and the value of memories. We were particularly intrigued by the significance of objects — how tangible items can hold emotions, nostalgia, and memories. This became a central theme in our approach.
The Brainstorming
Our brainstorming sessions were filled with long, philosophical conversations about mourning, our personal connections to others, and the type of experience we aimed to create.
Mood Boards
The tangible aspect of our project was visually explored through mood boards. These helped us compile ideas, spark new concepts, and inspire our own visuals.
The Idea
The Concept and Execution
Our concept centers around the pre-existing emotions attached to objects that have outlived their original owners. Imagine walking into a space, holding an object that once belonged to your grandmother. As you hold it, the space shifts and evolves around you. Scanners detect the divots, patina, and even your own grip on the object. The environment responds by amplifying emotions, transforming the room with changes in sound, visuals, and even air, reflecting the same emotions your grandmother might have experienced with the object. These visuals are driven by natural light, making the experience ephemeral — a space that you enter, experience, and leave.
Our Presentation
The deliverable for this project was a presentation. We brought in a collection of old objects, each layered with stories we had written on tags attached to them. As we presented our concept, we invited individuals to hold the objects and connect with them physically. Then, we showcased the video — an AI-generated yet human-created visualization of our concept. Using a combination of Runway, DALL-E, ChatGPT, Adobe Firefly, and Sabrina's incredible editing skills, we created a video to convey our vision. We realized that words alone couldn't do it justice.
