‘hardcoded memory’ by troika, 2012 858 custom cut swarovski crystal lenses, custom software, leds, brass, anodized aluminium, dyed fibreboard 2,60 m (h) x 2 m (w) x 0,4 m (d) all images courtesy troika

troika has developed the artwork ‘hardcoded memory’, an installation commissioned by swarovski for the exhibition ‘digital crystal: memory in the digital age’ at design museum in london on display until the 13th of january, 2013.

‘memory is closely linked to forgetting. before the digital era, forgetting was easy, for better or worse, not only is it biologically in-built to forget, the analog world around us cannot guarantee that recorded memories will last forever. photographs fade, film footage can be lost and media out-dated, thus remembering was the exception and forgetting the default. now in an age of endless digital image reproduction there is no longer a need to remember. we externalise [sic] our memories by handing them over to the digital realm enabled through digitization; inexpensive storage software, ease of retrieval and global access, blurring lines of ownership and making virtual forgetting close to impossible.

in the installation, low-resolution portraits are projected onto the gallery wall, generated by a hardcoded mechanical structure, which in the nature of its construction limits the selection of available images.

‘hardcoded memory’ is a reflection on the moment, and on time itself, standing as a metaphor for the human search for meaning and continuity, while celebrating forgetting in the digital age.‘

troika: hardcoded memory

troika: hardcoded memory

troika: hardcoded memory

troika: hardcoded memory

troika: hardcoded memory