Memory and Temporality in the Digital Age: A Study of Refik Anadol's Digital Art

Abstract

This paper examines how digital technologies restructure temporality and collective memory through the analysis of TurkishAmerican artist Refik Anadol's digital art series, including Melting Memories (2014-2018), Unsupervised (2021-2022), and Machine Hallucinations (2016-present). Drawing upon theoretical frameworks from scholars such as Wendy Hui Kyong Chun, Andrew Hoskins, Wolfgang Ernst, Martin Pogačar, Jussi Parikka on digital memory, as well as Timothy Barker's research on television media temporality, this study analyzes how Anadol's works embody the conflation of memory and storage in the digital age, the concept of "enduring ephemeral," non-linear temporality, and the digital reconstruction of collective memory. The research demonstrates that Anadol's works transcend mere artistic exploration of big data and artificial intelligence technologies; they constitute a profound reflection on human memory, perception, and temporal experience within digital culture, offering novel perspectives for understanding temporality and collective memory in the digital age.

Keywords

Digital Memory / Refik Anadol / Temporality / Collective Memory

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