Memememory

"Memememory" is a digital video artwork that explores the memetic terrain of internet culture as a form of contemporary folklore - fluid, generative, and deeply entwined with community structures. Drawing from interdisciplinary research in media theory, anthropology, and computational analysis, the piece visualizes the life cycle and evolution of internet memes across temporal epochs and digital ecosystems.

Through a layered visual language of data-driven animation, and archival meme material, the work maps how memes - born as humorous cultural fragments - mutate into vehicles for ideology, critique, and social bonding. Influenced by Richard Dawkins’ concept of the meme as a “cultural gene,” and Ben Pettis’ framing of memes as dynamic and contextual, the artwork foregrounds their dual role as tools of both solidarity and division. The work illuminates the collective journey towards cognitive and contextual exhaustion due to increasing oversaturation of media. Though the division of internet communities is increasing, this work shows their mutual mental state of loss of meaning, yet still underlines the desire to participate in the current meta-modern era.

At its core, Memememory investigates how internet communities act as evolutionary incubators, determining the “fitness” and virality of memes. Using insights from Lilian Weng, et al. (2014) research on community diversity and propagation patterns, the work depicts how early adopters and network topology shape meme trajectories far beyond their origin points. Particular attention is paid to the differential impact of fringe spaces like 4chan’s /pol/ and niche subreddits, whose content - though often toxic - exerts disproportionate influence on mainstream discourse.

By portraying the evolution of memes, this work captures the remix culture at the heart of meme-making, highlighting both the creative and corrosive forces that drive it. Simultaneously analytical and poetic, Memememory serves as both a visual archive and critical lens - inviting viewers to confront the cultural power and ethical stakes of the memes we share, shape, and are shaped by.

Team:

Generative system designer: Slava Rybin

Curatorial research: Anna Ilishkina