As we approach the end of analog television in 2009, and enter a new era in the evolution of digital media, our experience of images and information becomes increasingly intangible.
The Virtual Memory Project is a response to this transitional moment, and consists of three parts.
PART 1: THE FILM
Virtual Memory: Here, There and Elsewhere is a short documentary – One part history and one part poetry, Virtual Memory is a meditation on the essence of mechanical image-making and its impact on human consciousness, from the physical process of photography and film, to the alternate universe created by computers and virtual reality. Virtual Memory makes a useful supplement to any media literacy or media history curriculum, and is available for distribution. (more description is below)
PART 2: CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
To commemorate the end of the era of analog, we are also inviting other filmmakers to submit short works that pay tribute to analog technologies, or somehow acknowledge the transition we are currently experiencing. Our hope is to curate a strong series of shorts to accompany Virtual Memory (the documentary) and screen it in various cities, as well as featuring the films on this website. Click here to learn about submitting a film.
PART 3: TELL YOUR STORY
We are collecting personal stories and experiences in an oral history through an audio recording service. These stories can be accounts of first experiences with technology, impressions of the changes in technology since your childhood, or reactions to the impact technology has had in your life. Read on below for more ideas, and click here to learn how to tell your story and include it in The Virtual Memory Project
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MORE ABOUT THE VIRTUAL MEMORY PROJECT
The technological innovations that have surfaced in the last 100 years have radically transformed our society and our culture, and the pace of change continues to accelerate.
How do these rapid changes affect individuals ? How does a person who came of age in an era of manual typewriters and black and white television adjust to PDAs and instant messaging ? How have the range of experiences provoked by new technology – the gamut between anxiety and exhilaration - become a cumulative force which has transformed our social landscape? How is our collective consciousness changing as new generations, who have no memory of a time before these innovations were commonplace, come of age?
Virtual Memory is intended as a creative visual document of our particular moment in history. We are in a moment of social and cultural transition, from a physically based existence to one centered on the increasingly intangible exchange of information. Using archival material from throughout the 20th century, thought-provoking narration, and a densely graphic presentation, Virtual Memory (the film) captures and describes this transitional moment, inviting reflection and conversation on where we are and where we are going. View a sample excerpt of Virtual Memory.
The Virtual Memory Project also seeks personal stories of experiences with technology, and submissions of short films or videos relating to this theme. Learn more about submitting a film to the Virtual Memory Project, or simply call in to tell your story.
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