Earlier, as I was waiting for the train to leave the Gare du Nord, a middle-aged couple had passed down the carriage in which I was sitting.
Something in woman’s face brought to mind an image from a film. The previous night, seeking distraction from work, I had switched on the television. The channel I selected was passing in cursory review of films to be broadcasted in weeks to come: a title and a few seconds of footage from each. No doubt there was commentary voix-off but I had the mute on. A young woman, seen from behind, executes a perfect dive into swimming pool; cut to the face of a middle-aged woman who (the edit tells me) has witnessed this. I read something like anxiety in her expression.
The woman who had passed down the carriage had an anxious look.
Excerpt from the book
The Remembered Film
by Victor Burgin
​
​
THE REMEMBERED IMAGE
In the fabric of our lives, there are moments that resonate with the cinematic. These instances, whether it's the hush of a midnight descent down a staircase, the solitude of a summer drive on remote roads, or the contemplative gaze from a hilltop, evoke a sense of déjà vu, akin to scenes plucked from the silver screen.
"The Remembered Image" delves deep into the intricate labyrinth of memory, challenging the conventional understanding of its origin. While we often regard memories as personal experiences etched into our consciousness, this project unveils a captivating revelation. It exposes our ability to remember not just the events that have shaped our lives directly but also those borrowed from the vast tapestry of cinematic art. Film, with its visual language and emotional resonance, profoundly impacts the formation of our memories.
Within the human psyche, memories of visuals intermingle, blurring the boundaries between reality and what's perceived on the screen. Our minds intricately process each image, whether it unfolded before our eyes or was framed through a camera lens, weaving them into the fabric of our memory. Genuine experiences fuse with recollections of cinematic visuals, at times leading us to recall movie scenes as if they were threads of our own existence.
In a world where cinema has thrived for over a century, molding our perceptions and enriching our comprehension of reality, we find ourselves products of this visual culture. Film, an immersive and transformative medium, profoundly influences our growth and how we interpret the world. In navigating our lives against this cinematic backdrop, our memories intertwine, and we become storytellers of both fact and fiction.
"The Remembered Image" ventures into this interplay, where our reality and the cinematic realm converge. Through photography, we capture this intricate dance between the authentic and the reel. We invite you to reflect upon the profound impact of film on the canvas of our memories, fostering a deeper appreciation of how the power of cinema continues to shape our collective memory and our perception of the world.