MEM0RY_IS_S0FTWARE

MEM0RY_IS_S0FTWARE (2020)
by Aluta Null

'MEM0RY_IS_S0FTWARE' is an augmented reality effect originally created in 2020 using Spark Studio and published on Meta. The version shown here is the 2024 revision. The effect allows the user to move a ghost-like floating floppy disk around their environment, guided by a plane tracker. This is accompanied by bursts of visual noise intermittently flashing in the camera’s view within light areas of the environment.

'MEM0RY_IS_S0FTWARE' - the title written like a file name - falls into my DEAD THINGS practice where I reimagine old, broken, or "obsolete" digital devices and technology and frame them in a contemporary light, such as ghostly AR interventions. DEAD THINGS serves as a modern surreal archive. The main texts written on the floating 3D floppy disk read "4 tha archives" and “digital don’t die”, along with a mix of scratched out words "remember", "save", and scribbled drawings. These elements fuse themes of mental memory and digital preservation, a nod to how we archive and remember in both physical and digital realms. Blurring the lines between human and technological attributes to liken humans to machines, and machines to humans, is a theme that frequently appears in my work.

'MEM0RY_IS_S0FTWARE' is a sweet piece of digital nostalgia, capturing the essence of revisiting old tech. This piece of interactive art brings a digital artifact to life in a way that is interesting and engaging.

The 3D floppy disk was obtained as a free asset on Sketchfab.com and was further altered and blended with my own additions and changes using Blender and Krita.