Alian Rives - Korsakoff’s Syndrome

From the series Data Manipulation, Korsakoff’s Syndrome, installation view, AR studio, Miami, Florida, 0:04:00 min loop video projection, March 9th, 2022. Photo © Alian Rives' StudioAccording to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the predominant psychological feature of Korsakoff’s Syndrome is a gross defect in recent memory, sometimes so severe as to produce moment-to-moment consciousness; people who suffer from this disorder can store new information only for a few seconds and report no continuity between one experience and the next. They seem incapable of learning, even after many trials or repetitions. [1] Although cases of such severity are relatively rare, the ability to store experience only briefly is characteristic of Korsakoff’s Syndrome. This piece simulates Korsakoff’s Syndrome through a generative animation based on testimonials of a person suffering from it. The individual experiences living in the 70s compose a diagram of the input through a series of photographs of what he remembers from that era. Using GAN software and computational processes, what is left is a generative video based on a defective machine memory. Korsakoff’s Syndrome is a response to the Hysterical Document in reconstructing the aftermath of vivid experiences.[1] Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopedia. Korsakoff syndrome