Introduction
This project was my senior studio project at University of Massachusetts Lowell. During the COVID shutdown, there was a lot of fear stirring around, fear of losing loved ones, uncertainty of the future of the virus, etc. During this time, I made sure to spend more valuable time with loved ones. My father often needed help in the yard, cutting up trees, mowing the lawn, and tending to our plants. While I was helping cut logs, I analyzed the stump of a tree. I looked at the rings on the log and thought to myself, "This tree has 45 rings, that means it's life began in the mid '70s." This was my epiphany, I started to think about how "old" the tree was when certain events happened in my lifetime, or my family's lifetime. The rings told the story of the tree's life -- you knew when it lived through disease, drought, etc. So the tree rings became a new way to think about a timeline of life. I brought this idea into a mobile app as a way to store memories (journal), empathize with other people's lives anonymously, create a "family tree" to remember relatives, and to pass on our most beloved memories to our kin.
Explainer Video
The purpose of this video was to explain how memory works, as if explained to a young child. This was on a loop displayed on a monitor during my exhibition.
Exhibition Space
Hindsight is a system for self-reflection. During the pandemic, we’ve all had time to slow down. In this time, I realized the importance of holding onto experiences. I was inspired to create a way to help organize memories and inspire daily reflection. Sometimes remembering requires some digging.
Mobile App
This is where our digital lives and physical lives meet in the middle and where we can store each elements of our lives to get to know each other better and keep a record of our journeys.
Interactive Poll
The interactive part of the exhibition was a simple prompt: "What is nostalgia to you?" Viewers placed sticky notes on what nostalgia meant most to them. There were 3 colors of sticky notes, each correlating to an age range. The results are that ages under 20 feel pain, ages 21 to 45 feel bittersweet, and ages 46 and up feel warm. The conclusion is interesting. From my sample size, the trend is that warmth replaces pain in later years.
Ceramic Mug
Heat sensitive mug that reveals design when hot.
I created this coffee mug as a playful way to remind you to remember. When the cup is hot, the graphic shows and you are reminded to reminisce and add a journal entry. When it is empty the graphic disappears until you fill it up the next morning.
Artist/Thesis Statement
The past couple of years have been, well… a lot. Despite all of the noise in the world and turbulent current events, our memories are embedded in our minds. Sometimes remembering requires some digging. When COVID hit and we were all locked in quarantine, it forced us to slow down. A break from life’s hustle and bustle allowed for some self-reflection. I realized how important it is to reflect.
I was inspired to create a system to help organize memories and inspire daily reflection.
I was inspired to create a system to help organize memories and inspire daily reflection.
Hindsight is a way to document and reflect on memories that are important. I find myself to be highly organized because it helps me stay focused and be more efficient. I have improved memory when I organize tasks, as well. Organization can be applied to each of our “timelines” as a way to help us realize our cornerstones and life path.
During my time in quarantine, most of my time was spent outdoors with my father. Working with him in the yard one day, I passed by a tree stump and pondered over the tree rings. What kind of life had the tree lived? What difficulties had it survived over so many years? This moment was an epiphany for the basis of Hindsight. Each ring resembles one year, so in a sense the stump was a perfect natural timeline of the tree’s lifespan. I translated this over to my project as a way to organize the memories from each year of your life. By viewing other users’ rings you are given an honest insight into a stranger’s life, allowing you to empathize with someone on a deeper level than a surface-level conversation. Hindsight was developed to improve self-actualization while simultaneously realizing everyone else has a robust, unique story.
Receipt
Receipt leave-behind as a record of our "transaction".
The receipt was a take-away from my gallery exhibition. I printed out a few versions with different journal entries and specific memories and how they affected me. I wanted people who spent the time with my project to be able to get something personal of me in return. The QR code leads to this portfolio.
Memory Cards
Reflection prompts as playing cards.
The memory cards are prompts for you and friends to connect over and share experiences. You can date each one with the date you think the memory occurred to see how close you can guess.
Process Book
