Constructing Memories: Time Made Tangible

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Date
2011-07-01
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Volume Title
Publisher
Virginia Tech
Abstract

Time, by definition, is an intangible phenomenon. Everyone knows it exists and can tell the passage of time based on the track of the sun and the hands on a clock, but time itself is an invisible entity. This architectural thesis maintains that time can be made tangible through the relationships formed between people and their personal histories and memories. The predominant way the present knows anything about its past is through someone's telling of it. A person who experienced the past shares with the present and in doing so, gives the past and time itself presence. This Memory Center, located in Dupont Circle, Washington, D.C., gives the opportunity for people to share their memories and experiences in order to give time physical presence. Like an interactive science museum, the Memory Center opens itself to the people who visit it and allows for interactions that create lasting memories. Although one cannot consciously control most of what becomes memory, events that are new or unusual or involve interacting with new people usually form stronger and more lasting memories.

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Keywords
sound, Memory, history, time
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