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“Orientations involve directions toward objects that affect what we do, and how we inhabit space.”

Sara Ahmed, Queer Phenomenology

Re-Memory Palace is grounded in the idea that spatial orientation shapes what and how we remember. It is a modular, reconfigurable spatial structure designed to host and activate Roodkapje’s anarchive—a site where memory is made in the present, not stored in the past. This work challenges the architectural metaphor of the classical “memory palace,” a mnemonic technique rooted in linearity, control, and hierarchy. In its place, Re-Memory Palace proposes a dynamic, participatory system for remembering otherwise—a space that shifts depending on how we move through it and how we relate to others within it.

The design consists of a series of uniquely shaped reflective metal panels, each mounted on a wheelbase and able to rotate 90 degrees to either side. These panels connect like a puzzle, forming a straight wall-like structure when aligned, but capable of unfolding into endlessly varied spatial compositions. On the reverse side of each panel, a recycled plastic component—multi perforated and interlockable—extends the system, offering additional levels and surfaces for display, gathering, or interruption. These elements can serve as document holders, projection surfaces, or anchors for small objects, subtly enhancing the paraphernalia dimension of the anarchive without fixing meaning or prescribing interpretation.

Each reconfiguration is a gesture of un-archiving, of unfixing space and perception. The reflective surfaces mirror not only the bodies that move around them, but the shifting meanings of the anarchival materials they hold. Viewers encounter themselves within the structure, positioned differently each time—an invitation to question one’s own place within systems of knowledge, memory, and authorship. As Pierre Nora says, “Memory attaches itself to sites, whereas history attaches itself to events.” This proposal engages the site itself as a memory device—fragmented, living, and collectively authored.

When inactive, the installation compacts seamlessly along the backstage wall, occupying the same length it holds when fully extended-echoing the ghost of structure even in stillness. But when activated, it becomes a space for collective meaningmaking, open to workshops, small gatherings, and informal presentations. The structure’s movement, its ability to be reshaped by others, turns it into an instrument of reciprocity and orientation—a spatial practice rooted in the politics of attention and co-presence.

Re-Memory Palace creates an experience of subjective immersion. The reflective surfaces place the viewer within the work, while fragmented sightlines open up multiple perspectives simultaneously. No two visitors will inhabit the same configuration in the same way. Memory here is not stored—it is lived. Each person’s path through the structure generates their own orientation, their own version of what it means to remember, relate, and reflect.

Each reflective panel can pivot 90 degrees to either side, creating constantly shifting spatial compositions. The modular design allows for an infinite number of configurations—linear, radial, fragmented, folded, or open. Each setup invites a new orientation, a new spatial narrative. The dismantling of the memory palace becomes a generative act: Making room for forgotten stories, new beginnings, and collective re-rememberings. It is a space always in the making, always shaped by how people move through and interact with it.

 

materials & construction details

The material and construction logic reflect the project’s conceptual grounding in un-archiving, adaptability, and embodied memory. Reflective metal panels Function as architectural fragments that reference and dismantle the classical memory palace. The mirror finish allows visitors to see themselves and others, foregrounding presence, empathy, and shifting perspective. Wheel-mounted base for each panel Enables smooth rotation and relocation, highlighting the design’s performative and participatory nature. Easy to lock in place once positioned. Recycled plastic connector units Attached to the reverse of the panels; each unit is multi-perforated and interlockable. Offers additional surfaces for documents, projections, or small objects—subtly referencing the anarchive’s paraphernalia without fixing their meaning. Reflects a material logic of reuse and re-assembly, echoing the cyclical nature of memory. Compactable configuration The entire structure compresses to align seamlessly along the backstage wall, occupying minimal footprint when not in use. This reversible state reflects the latent potential of memory: always present, always becoming.

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