Memory Machine

Sarah Brahim’s Memory Machine (2023) is a two-channel film installation examining the visual metaphors of memory. One channel explores the involuntary erasure of our memories while the other looks at what we block and re-narrate due to major life events. Brahim’s dedication to working closely with light led her to shoot the videos predominately on 16mm film.

The two channels are played side-by-side, allowing the viewer to question at which point we enter our memories and consider whether this sensory experience is constantly changing. Brahim was inspired by the philosopher Emanuele Coccia in his book Metamorphosis. The philosopher claims ‘every self is a forgetting self,’ that we must forget to make space for the future.