Memo is an installation about the contrast between transience and apparent permanence of memories of the deceased.
A diffuse-sounding voice recording is transmitted spatially via laser light.
Concept
Memories of deceased loved ones may appear tangible and realistic but are often incomplete, continuously changing and always subjective. The voice recording of a close person represents the starting point of the installation. As such the digital recording is but a trace of the individual. Yet it evokes lively memories and also mixes with them.
Data transmission
The installation consists of five steles that are part of a free-space optical communication. A transmitter generates a laser that is modulated by the audio signal of the voice recording. The light is scattered in glass cubes filled with water, revealing the data transmission as a beam. Finally, the laser reaches a receiver, making the recording audible.
Sound
The audio track has been modified through time-stretching. Although the voice is recognizable, the words remain incomprehensible. As a result, the meaning of the content becomes less important, while timbre and intonation appear more prominent.