AFTER MEMORY

Essentially, all memory only exists »a posteriori«. Only what has already passed, can be recalled; only what has already been forgotten can be remembered. Yet, as the present expands endlessly and drowns the perception of temporality in a constant flow of images and information, how can we determine what will have had to be known for the future? Submerged, as we are, in this perpetual now, how can we recollect the past or imagine possible futures beyond the confines of our present time? Isolated in algorithmic filter bubbles and echo chambers, how can we share remembrances and foster a sense of community?

»After Memory« reflects on how memory is affected by endless social media feeds, clouded storage spaces, automated data storage, and networked communication technologies. This bears both challenges and chances, as practices of remembering and forgetting are reconfigured and their competences are transferred from institutional actors to civic initiatives and individuals. In turn, the role of museums and archives is redefined, too, whose collections no longer preside over a sovereign historiography of the past, but constitute shared repositories for the future.

The international symposium brings together protagonists from art, science, technology, museology, and activism to explore the temporal, spatial, and social dimensions of digital memory. The programme is curated by Nathalia Lavigne, Víctor Fancellli Capdevila, and Lisa Deml and takes place in partnership with Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design (HfG).