I had the same experience talking to Viviane Silvera as it sounds like she had making the film See Memory. All of my questions about the film just seemed to lead to more questions, because the topic of memory is so mysterious and yet so central to the way we tell the stories of our lives. Viviane’s enthusiasm and knowledge are palpable when she talks about what she learned interviewing numerous renowned psychiatrists and neuroscientists about memory, and she can’t wait to learn more and embark on more projects going down the rabbit hole of memory.
To say that See Memory compacts a lot into a 15-minute short film is a massive understatement. Literally a lot—over 30,000 hand-painted stills stop-motion-animated, all done the analog, “old-school” way, as well as hours and hours of research and interviews. See Memory is a lot of things, including an art piece, an educational tool, and even an abstract fictional story.
It contains so much that Viviane says that even she feels like she learns something new every time she goes over her content. I had the same experience when watching the short film a few times in preparation for our interview. Like memory itself, it felt a little different and I feel like I added something new of my own to it each time.
Be sure to check out Viviane’s website for more information on upcoming screenings, the PBS special and educational resources she mentions in our talk, more of her art, and her inevitable forthcoming projects on memory: https://www.vivianesilvera.com/
Check out Viviane’s insights into her process and some of the fascinating facts she’s learned about memory in her interview with Mental Filmness: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/877742791
And of course, check out the film for *free* in Shorts Block No. 5 in the virtual festival, now playing through 11/5: https://mentalfilmness2023.eventive.org/films/see-memory-6508d18cb4571800927c0c75
