Where Memories Spiral
2025
Wood, recycled CDs, photopolymer resin, concrete, steel wire, turntables
140 x 140 x 320 cm
Where Memories Spiral is a continuation of Dai Shengjie's earlier work Disappearing Mirage, extending her ongoing inquiry into technological heritage, memory structures, and spatial perception.
In this project, Dai employs electronic waste and architectural remnants as materials to construct spiral-like installations that function both as staircases descending into the depths of memory and as symbolic references to the DNA helix. These spiral forms point to how digital media stores, distorts, and eventually erodes perception. They not only inscribe the psychological dimensions of childhood space but also metaphorically reveal the deep entanglement between technology and the human memory system. Within the work, the artist juxtaposes "dwelling" and "technological debris," allowing them to reflect and entangle with one another. On one hand, the dwelling embodies intimate, emotional experiences tied to personal growth; on the other, obsolete electronic media become “fossilized ghosts” of the information age, bearing witness to the ways in which lives are shaped by rapid urbanization and technological shifts. Here, the decay of material and the fading of emotion are not seen as ends, but rather as new modes of existence and renewed perception. Where Memory Spirals is not only a reconstruction of memory, but also a form of visual archaeology—mapping the tensions between technological legacy and urban transformation, intergenerational memory and emotional ruins. It invites a reconsideration of what it means to remember, and how memory is formed and fragmented in the digital era.