Ars Memoria – Memes for Imagination

Ars Memoria – Memes for Imagination

In an era where vast portions of our memory are externalized into digital storage and images flicker through our perception at high speeds, our engagement with memory has become increasingly transient—impressions forming and dissolving in an instant.

The solo exhibition Ars Memoria – Memes for Imagination explores the evolution of memory techniques, drawing inspiration from the works of Italian philosopher, poet, and cosmologist Giordano Bruno. Through a dialogue between past and future, the exhibition presents a video work and sculptures that delve into the intricate relationship between memory, consciousness, and technology.

By reinterpreting ancient mnemonic systems, Ars Memoria – Memes for Imagination speculates on new ways of remembering and reimagining knowledge. It reflects on the fragility of memory in a world where technology mediates our recollections, while also proposing alternative ways to harness the power of remembrance. As past wisdom intersects with future possibilities, the exhibition invites us to rethink memory not just as a tool for recalling the past, but as a framework for envisioning a more sustainable future.

Constellation of works

Aom Aom, your body in my room – Study of the hippocampus (2017)
Polystyrene, metal, white paint
210 m x 150 m x 190 m

MOL (2017)
11:20 min video loop with sound, single-channel video projection, dimensions variable

Memory Wheels (2019)
BE LUCK – Bruno’s Endless Love to a Universe of Circular Knowledge 
Metal, beeswax, red pigment, cyber chrome
90 cm x 5 cm
AWAWE – Aby Warburg Arranges a World of Empathy
Metal, beeswax, green pigment, cyber chrome
90 cm x 5 cm
M9MEMM – Mnemosyne and the Nine Muses Entranced in Mnemonic Meditations
Metal, beeswax, purple, cyber chrome
90 cm x5 cm
TOTHM – Tip of my Tongue to Henry Molaison
Metal, beeswax, blue pigment, cyber chrome
90 cm x 5 cm
AI – All In All In All 
Metal, beeswax, white pigment, cyber chrome
90 cm x 5 cm

Credits
Animation: Adam Ryde Ankerfeldt & Magnus Pind Bjerre
Cinematographer: Troels Rasmus Jensen
Colorgrade: Olesya Kireeva, Act3
Sound: Jeppe Brix
Set-Design: Anne Mette Fisker Langkjer 

The exhibition Ars Memoria – Memes for Imagination was supported by:
Danish Arts Foundation, Aarhus Kommune, Det Obelske Familiefond, IMC – Interacting Minds Centre, Kjærgaard Anlægsgartner and Novo Nordisk Foundation

The publication "Ars Memoria – Memes for Imagination" was published by Really Simple Syndication Press on the occasion of the exhibition. A readable version of the publication can be found here.

Read more about the exhibition at Kunsthal Aarhus and at Rundetaarn.

The video work MOL has been exhibited at New Museum in New York in 2019 as part of their Screen Series alongside Head On My Dear and Whether We Are. The Screen Series was organized by Helga Christoffersen, Associate Curator, and presents new video works by emerging artists. Read more about MOL and the Screen Series at New Museum.