Maiya Goloviznina
Memory glitch

At the centre of the installation is an aquarium in the form of a vertical column that contains a living colony of Balanus barnacles. They cover the surface densely, forming an almost seamless living organic layer. As the animals filter the water, they absorb everything it contains: trace nutrients, debris, and other random particles. Together, they act as a single slow but indiscriminate digestion engine.

This work explores the reconstructive nature of memory in the age of AI-generated content (AIGC). Like barnacles, human perception is saturated with external information without any clear distinction between the authentic and artificially constructed. False memories are not the result of a glitch, but a side effect of the constant absorption and digestion of information, which over time starts to become part of us.

The project draws on classic experiments to investigate false memories coupled with the AIGC media environment. An AR layer broadcasts AI-generated stereotypes about barnacles, incorporating urban myths in an imitation of the manipulation of algorithmically generated content. With time, the imagery overload triggers a conflict with reality and encourages us to come in closer and observe the organisms directly. This period of transition between passive perception and active scrutiny is when our memory is most vulnerable. Our judgements are based on distortions until we critically engage with the subject.