'Stream of Thought' is a randomly shuffled series of animations that depict two different spaces — the space of memory recall, and the objects that act as a visual mnemonic. Through juxtaposition, you are challenged to form closure and make sense of the non-linear visual narrative.
‘Stream of Thought’ is an experimental video experience which foregrounds dynamic non-linearity — a series of shuffled animations that invite viewers to meditate on the chaotic and unstructured nature of memories. Through the film-editing technique of juxtaposing sequential shots to create a ‘Kuleshov Effect’, the viewer is challenged to make sense of the random sequence of animated vignettes, and form their own interpretation of the narrative.
‘Stream of Thought’ aims to evoke the sporadic and fleeting moments that tread the line between remembering and daydreaming. By depicting the place in which memory is being recalled, and the objects that are closely tied to certain events, experiences and emotions, ‘Stream of Thought’ explores the ideas of the memory palace and mnemonic memory systems. The video suggests the intangible relationship between the ethereality of memory and the physicality of a space — the abstraction of memory is made tangible and ‘real’ through objects and spaces.
I wanted to create a video that is always changing, creating a unique experience each time the video is played. An algorithm shuffles the vignettes, forming a pattern of random animation. This generative component potentially produces a video which omits some snippets —
a complete video, yet an incomplete story. The viewer is encouraged to experience ‘Stream of Thought’ over multiple viewings.
They are a collection of stories, grouped into clusters that are vaguely related by the basis of when, where and what. Our memory isn’t perfect — laziness and forgetfulness are constantly creating gaps, forming a disjointed sequence of stories. We automatically make sense of these stories through recognising patterns and creating closure to fill in the gaps in our memory.
My exploration into memory began by looking into the discourse around erasure. Erasure is commonly interpreted as the act of removing a mark, or the lack or absence, of something. However, there are other ways to understand this phenomenon.
Authors like Couch and Derrida introduce an approach to understanding erasure that highlights the semiotics of erasure in a text through the idea of ‘under erasure’. ‘Under erasure’, or, ‘sous rature’, is used to describe the symbol which denotes the in-between state of presence and absence. A strikeout is a common form of ‘under erasure’. For example, on a page, there are usually two ‘objects’ — the marks and the white space. The marks of the text is a collection of symbols to be read. In contrast, the white space separates characters to form words and paragraphs, creating meaning. A strikeout indicates to the reader that the content being crossed out is to be ignored, yet also transparently reveals what shouldn’t be.
Erasures can be categorised into deliberate and unintentional erasures. An example of deliberate erasure is using an eraser to remove the marks on the page. Unintentional erasure could be leaving the page to nature’s elements and letting the marks disappear through natural weathering and erosion. Regardless of intention, an act of erasure will inevitably leave behind ‘remnants’ of the erasure — marks that aren’t removed and remain visible on the page. How we read, interpret, and re-contextualise these leftovers are similar to how one would make sense of their memories, with all their gaps and fractures, to create a cohesive narrative of experience.
‘Erasure designates an in-between state of physicality that marks the shift from presence to absence.’
Couch (2018)
'Hypertext' describes the narrative journey of jumping between disparate texts, in this case, disjointed scenes of memory. We automatically make reconcile these fragments of story into a larger narrative arc. This phenomenon of closure that occurs intuitively as we analyse and re-contextualise the pieces that we are presented with.
The narrative is not necessary formed by what we are shown, but instead created in the viewer, but influenced by what is shown. The snippets of an event that we remember don't tell us the whole story objectively, but instead we are forced to navigate those memories to reconcile our experiences with the larger narrative.
It is this closure and individual interpretation that I wish to evoke in 'Stream of Thought'. By presenting vignettes that are founded in my daily routine, but depicted in such a way that it remains relatable and identifiable to the viewer, the audience is able to, in a sense, repurpose, those images to meditate on their own lived experiences.
It is up to the reader to rationalise every reading, and consequently every arrangement of [texts], into a coherent story.
Ryan (2002)
Couch, D. D. (2018). Erasure. Early American Studies: AnInterdisciplinary Journal, 16(4), 665-670.
Ryan, M.-L. (2002). Beyond myth and metaphor: narrative in digitalmedia. Poetics Today, 23(4), 581. https://doi.org/10.1215/03335372-23-4-581