Topology of Memory

February - May 2024

A web-based artistic mapping project that serves as a collective archive of memories in NYC and the places they are rooted in.

Contribution: Front-End Web Development, Design
Technologies: Javascript, HTML + CSS, Google Maps API, Firebase, ThreeJS

Overview

Topology of Memory is an interactive map meant to shed light on the invisible, intimate histories people form within the urban landscape, specifically in New York City. The project stems from the concept that a city is not merely defined by its physical composition or architecture, but rather by the people in it — how they navigate the city, what each individual chooses to perceive and remember about the city, and the invisible associations people assign in their minds to specific places. By giving people a way to document their stories, the project aims to help people reinforce their critical insight into their own memories of the city and find commonalities with those of others.

Users can view other people's memories and are encouraged to physically visit the locations others have written about on the map, where they will be able to further interact with a memory and leave traces of their own presence. Through prompting users to view the stories in the spatial context they occurred in, the project strives to reconnect people to their local environment so they may become aware of a place’s deeper significance and new ways of looking at the city around them.

This was my senior capstone project for NYU's Interactive Media Arts program.