Illustrator
The Oracle Of Remembrance
This installation is inspired by It Smells of Smoke at Home by Aliona Kardash, not as a depiction of conflict, but as a reflection on what happens inside intimate relationships when familiarity quietly dissolves. Kardash’s image captures a moment where closeness and distance coexist, where people remain physically present, yet emotionally displaced. The photograph raises questions about belonging, silence, and the transformation of personal bonds, asking who we become when those closest to us begin to feel unfamiliar.
Our work responds to these questions by shifting the focus inward. Rather than addressing external events, we explore the internal aftermath of relational change: friendships that fade, connections that dissolve without closure, and emotions that remain unresolved long after the relationship itself has ended. Just as the photograph suggests an invisible tension within the domestic space, our installation invites visitors to confront the emotional residue left behind when connection breaks down.
Through guided narration and an immersive visual environment, the visitor moves through stages of arrival, connection, reflection, and release. These stages mirror the emotional structure present in Kardash’s image: an initial sense of safety, followed by subtle estrangement, and finally the possibility of recognition and transformation. Memory becomes both a place of comfort and weight, something that once felt light, but now carries emotional pressure.
Central to our concept is the idea that distance does not erase connection. Even when relationships end or change beyond recognition, they continue to shape who we are. The installation frames this process as neither loss nor blame, but as a natural part of becoming. By encouraging breathing, observation without judgment, and symbolic release, the work offers a space to acknowledge what was, without being held captive by it.
In this way, the installation acts as a psychological continuation of Kardash’s photograph. Where the image captures the stillness of emotional rupture, our work gives form to what follows: the quiet work of letting go, making space, and carrying forward what remains meaningful. The experience does not ask visitors to forget, but to leave lighter by holding the memory without its weight, and recognizing that connection, even when broken, remains fundamental to who we are.
visual moodboard
Original World Press Photo description
Coding instructions:
Kinect=>TD=>Blender
script drafts:
script 1
script 2
script 3
script 4
Artistic vision paper
Figma Storyboard
link paper:
Progress:
I joined this project in the first weeks, when the theme of broken bonds and emotional distance was still being explored. I shared a similar interpretation and interest in this direction, which led me to join Rogier and Laura, who initiated the project and selected the image. We decided to work together because we genuinely look up to one another,our skills and personalities complement each other nicely.This made it possible to work independently or side to side while remaining productive when meeting.What connected us most was a shared curiosity for tools, techniques, and experimentation, as well as a willingness to push ourselves into unfamiliar territory.
Within the collaboration, Rogier brought strong technical knowledge in Blender and naturally took on a leadership role, helping guide the direction of the project. Laura contributed her experience with music and a strong sensitivity for audio, atmosphere, and visual interpretation. I brought my background in editing and visual tools such as After Effects and TouchDesigner.We all have a strong feel for concepting and looking at things like designers. Combining visuals and audio across different media and software became one of the most engaging aspects of our process.
Starting Point : World Press Photo
The project required us to choose a World Press Photo, use its context as a starting point, but reinvent the story through our own interpretation. We chose the image “It Smells Like Smoke at Home” by Aliona Kardash. The photo was taken from a plane during the moment Russia bombarded Ukraine. Visually, it is calm and beautiful, yet it carries an extremely destructive and heavy reality underneath.
What struck us was the distance in the image being physically far away from destruction, yet emotionally connected to it. War separates people through forced distance. We translated this idea into something more personal and universal: broken bonds with family or friends. People who are still alive, but no longer part of your life. Sometimes because they hurt you, sometimes because you hurt them. A relationship that fades suddenly, or slowly, often without closure leaving behind a heavy silence.
From there, we defined the emotional goal of the project. We wanted visitors to realise how often relationships are taken for granted, and how their value only becomes clear once they start to fall apart or already have.The intended impact was not guilt, but awareness:to become more attentive, to value relationship more consciously, and to nurture them before distance settles in. This stayed the same throughout the whole project.
Early Installation Concept
In the first versions of the installation, we explored this idea through physical objects and space.Our concept focused on how personal relationships quietly unravel from within, and how their emotional weight only becomes visible once damage has already been done. By presenting objects that were broken and repaired, we aimed to materialise emotional neglect and the effort required to restore connection.
Visitors would move through a space where identity felt unstable and relational roles shifted mirroring the fragile state between distance and renewal. The objects revealed what is lost when communication fades, but also what can still be rebuilt.
Ultimately, this phase of the project was less about loss, and more about the hope of reconnection and a renewed appreciation for relationships that are easily overlooked.
The visitor journey was structured around a gradual shift in awareness. Visitors enter the installation carrying their own assumptions about conflict and relationships, often unaware of how much they take certain connections for granted. As they move through the space, the installation makes internal emotional erosion visible through broken and mended objects, evoking feelings of uncertainty, reflection, and recognition. After the experience, visitors are encouraged to reflect on relationships they may have neglected and to recognise the emotional work required to repair them.
During feedback, an important concern was raised: whether abstract, general objects could clearly communicate such a personal and emotional theme. One example mentioned was that for some people the object isn’t an object such as time.
This prompted us to rethink the role of objects and symbolism more critically. We began exploring everyday items that already carry emotional weight through shared routines and lived experience, such as clocks and watches (time passing, missed moments), letters and envelopes (unspoken words, delayed communication), keys (trust, access, being let in or shut out),...
Early technical advancements
For the first prototype Laura made motion reactive particles in TouchDesigner where the visitor would walk through and they move along acording, this with the help of a kinect. When I joined the project, we were still developping this concept. Rogier made a 3D clouds plain which would be an added layer over the particle system in Touchdesigner.He also made an interactive reveal for the object’s to be shown.
Because you can’t use a kinect within Blender, I then coded a port from Touchdesigner’s kinect input to make the Blender clouds interactive.This was especially tricky because there were no tutorials on our set-up. It took us 3 days of research, trying, failling and Chat-GPT conversations before we got it working.
In the final installation we decided not to use this setup, as our vision shifted and TouchDesigner became the tool for the master file. However, this exploration remained valuable within our non-linear workflow. Different elements and insights from this phase informed later decisions, and parts of our second prototype can be recognised in the final installation. Beyond that, it was a huge personal win to step into completely unfamiliar technical territory and successfully bridge two complex systems
New Direction towards the final
We began writing a script together inspired by Avatar The Last Airbender to tell the story of coping with such situations. All of us recognised ourselves in the concept; we had each experienced rumination, lingering emotions, recurring thoughts, and their negative effects. Rogier wrote the first draft and there we all added to. This led to a shared interest in the idea of guided meditation or hypnosis as a way to guide visitors through these emotional states not as psychologists or experts, but from the understanding that art itself is often used as a reflective or therapeutic space.During the holidays we focussed more on our artistic vision which helped us strenghten our project in the most crucial phase.Based on feedback we realized we needed frameworks to actually achieve the intended goal to help people navigate these emotions.
Psychology, hypnosis, and pop culture became the main pillars of my research. The artistic vision paper expands on this research, both conceptually and visually, as I deliberately used experimental editorial layouts to reflect the theme.
quote from the artistic vision paper:
“ I tried a guided hypnosis session myself, focused on releasing anger and resentment. One line stayed with me: “Imagine yourself from different points of view, sometimes even seeing yourself from outside, looking in, as you watch your own self further unwind, like loosening knots that gently untie.” The experience confirmed our direction of revisiting memories while observing oneself moving through them. It did not eliminate rumination, but it created a rare sense of stillness in which heavy thoughts lost their grip.”
Our first script was relatively long and went through multiple rewrites around five iterations becoming more focused and restrained each time. During the feedback session we already made some of the visuals which would be seen in the final. For example the orb was in this version the “entity” speaking to you almsot godlike. This felt too complex or grand for the topic so we shifted that as the project evolved.
The final script was directly informed by the artistic vision research, particularly insights from psychology and hypnosis. Rather than treating hypnosis as something mystical, we approached it as a focused state of attention: working with existing memories, relying on willingness and internal motivation, and guiding attention away from rumination through calm, non-directive language. Central to this approach was the idea that healing is not about forgetting, but about releasing, understood as placing something aside rather than destroying it allowing memory to remain while its emotional weight softens.Due to the final iterations we decided the oracle to represent what the person is dealing with. It’s a mountain which reflects the weight someone carries along with them. This way we could keep our earlier storytelling structure while evolving the project.
Audio
Laura was responsible for the full sound design and narration development of the installation. In the early stages, we used an AI-generated voice to test initial versions of the script, allowing her to experiment efficiently with pacing, tone, and structure. At that point, sound design had only been completed for the first two scenes. After presenting the first hi-fi prototype, feedback described the experience as hypnosis-like and emotionally heavy, prompting a revision of the script to emphasize meditation, breathing, and reflection. In response, Laura selected a different AI voice that was calmer, softer, and less threatening, better aligning with the intended tone.
Once the final script structure was established, she composed a complete soundscape covering all scenes. Each phase was assigned a distinct sonic identity: the opening used abstract, ethereal sounds to evoke a sense of arrival; the second scene, representing childhood memories, incorporated distant children’s laughter with a shift marked by stronger wind, breeze, and wind chimes to suggest mental turbulence; and the release phase employed singing bowls and meditation gongs to support stillness and grounding. In the final scene, natural park sounds returned, but without children’s voices, creating a calmer and more resolved atmosphere. A large gong was added between scenes to clearly mark transitions and enhance the fluidity of visual shifts.
For the final prototype, narration was recorded using Rogier's voice. The pitch was lowered and reverb added to make the voice less recognizable and more neutral, functioning as an abstract guiding presence. During the breathing and release section, reverb was removed so the voice felt closer and more internal, as if existing inside the listener’s head. At the end of the experience, reverb returned, creating a sense of distance and closure as the voice faded away. Through these choices, the sound design became the primary tool for guiding emotional pacing, transitions, and immersion throughout the installation.
Final weeks
We created a storyboard using the script as a guideline to built towards the end.Here we created new content and combined earlier explorations, reused components, and decided which visuals to refine or discard.There was concern that a five- to six-minute experience might be too long and risk losing the visitor’s attention. Despite this, and being aware of the scepticism surrounding terms like meditation, hypnosis, and mindfulness, we trusted our intuition and stayed committed to the project’s vision, knowing it might not be for everyone.
The script was structured into five phases that mirror a gradual emotional process.The arrival phase establishes safety, consent, and control, emphasising that nothing happens without the visitor’s willingness. This is followed by connection, where early memories of belonging and effortless bonding are recalled.The loss phase introduces distance and absence, acknowledging unresolved silence and lingering attachment without forcing closure. In the release phase, guided breathing and observation create a distance between memory recall and emotional re-experiencing, allowing visitors to observe rather than relive. The closing phase externalises release through what was first a physical action: writing down what is ready to be let go of and symbolically releasing it. Based on final feedback and testing, this gesture evolved from paper to a stone, strengthening the metaphor of emotional weight something carried, acknowledged, and consciously set down rather than erased.
These are represented through the different scenes as emphasized through the astro-projection Rogier developped.The “hologram” you see of yourself goes through these emotional phases.
It was then in the final week before the expo, we tested the full installation for the first time. This was both exciting and intimidating.We had been working across Ableton Live, TouchDesigner, Blender and After Effects, and had a clear shared vision, it was the first time everything came together in a physical space.At the time we still used an AI voice to narrate the people.So it captured the idea of what we were going for but the emphasisses were wrong with times. Despite that was the test was overwhelmingly positive.
We immediately felt the emotional connection to the topic and identified which scenes needed refinement or reinvention. Feedback confirmed that the setup already felt immersive, grounding, and true to the research. During this session, we developed the idea of shifting the weight to the pebble, further strengthening the metaphors already present in the work. Teachers who had previously worried about the duration and attentionspan now expressed that the experience felt natural, engaging, and not long at all.The last week I editted all the scenes together, given creative freedom to adjust Visuals if i wanted to more. eg.The Rock growing bigger at some point.
For the physical space we wanted visitors to feel safe, in a private room.This allowed them to be fully alone and helps them follow along the guided meditation. we brgouht pebbles to the installation so we could achieve our call to action to “leave the weight in the room”. In addition to that we had sage and an airdiffuser to include all senses during the experience.To prevent people of losing interest while waiting we created a waiting room that introduced the topic through posters and flyers designed by Laura, offering thought-provoking questions for sceptical visitors.
Day of Liminal expo