A Synthetic Memory is a digitally reconstructed representation of a personal memory created with Generative Artificial Intelligence (GEN-AI) technologies. It recreates a past visual experience that might have faded, changed, or been forgotten over time. Unlike our natural memories, which are created and stored in the human brain, Synthetic Memories are produced by algorithms. These algorithms interpret descriptions of personal experiences and turn them into images and short videos.
This project explores the extension of synthetic memories into immersive space. It is a VR experience that reconstructs fragmented memories using generative AI and Unity, designed with Alzheimer’s patients and displaced communities in mind, and aiming to preserve memory when photography or family records are missing.
Exhibited at LA’s Flux Festival
Submitted to SIGGRAPH 2025
Project year:
2024
How can I extend synthetic memories into immersive space? How can immersive technologies help preserve or recreate undocumented memories — particularly for marginalized communities?
The focus was on Alzheimer’s patients and refugees whose visual histories had been lost or undocumented.
As a VR Designer and AI prompter, working alongside Barcelona-based Domestic Data Streamers, and a small interdisplinary team, I contributed to the conceptual and technical aspects of the project. My process involved:
- Gathering memory narratives through interviews
- Translating verbal stories into early speculative visuals using generative AI tools (MidJourney and Stable Diffusion)
- Iteratively refining prompts using emotional, historical, and visual cues to better represent the intended memories
- Developing the immersive experience in Unity using C# scripting to integrate AI-generated assets and create 3D stereoscopic 180° VR environments
- Designing both the visual experience and the underlying technical logic for memory preservation
We created an immersive installation that successfully translated personal memories into visceral spatial experiences. The project:
- Challenged traditional documentation methods for preserving cultural memory
- Expanded possibilities for digital heritage preservation in the age of AI-driven creativity
- Created new pathways for representing undocumented histories of marginalized communities
- Demonstrated how immersive technologies can serve as memory preservation tools
- Received overwhelmingly positive responses from users, many of whom described the experience as “transportive” and “deeply personal.”
Together, we explored how memory could be represented not as a static image, but as an emotional and spatial experience.