As We Polish This Rock, It Loses Its Memory

As We Polish This Rock, It Loses Its Memory is an interactive film mixing real-time 3D engines, physical interfaces and analog video technologies. With the phrase “Winners Write History” in mind, the experience explores how control impacts the collective experience, and therefore its selective memory. Along the way, multiple questions are asked: what is control? How does it feel? How much do your personal choices affect others? Can one voluntarily choose to be in control, or to be a spectator to it all? What are its limits? And lastly: is it worth it?

Throughout the experience, a narration follows the audience, offering hints about the world they are in: man-made nature and islands, slice-of-life recordings, modern artifacts, remnants of a civilization that is missing, but not lost.

Photo : Axel Hélie-Fontaine

For the experience, 4 bespoke controllers were built, one for each surface of the dome in which it is presented, to interact with multiple elements of the experience. Designed to be simple yet extremely impactful, these controllers invite the public to either take control for as long as they want, or not use them at all.

Currently in progress, it is being developed as part of the immersive technologies residency program at Société des Arts Technologiques in Montreal. The Premiere is scheduled for May 6 2026.

Format

• Performance

• Recorded Performance

• Interactive Installation

Diffusion

• 2026 : Société des Arts Technologiques, Montréal, Canada

Technologies Used

• Unity

• TouchDesigner

• Blender

• PythonOSC

• hzeller Raspberry Pi LED Matrix

Special Thanks to

Jan Klimas / Voen.Void Jules Roze Francis Drouin Zachary Hardy Pablo Geeraert Emma Cloutier-Nadon Bruno Colpron Geneviève Bélanger Serge Bélanger Jean Fontaine Michael Gary-Dean David Gardener Orhan Aydin Lucas Paris Nicolas Martel Victor Drouin-Trempe David Drouin Lorn Jesse Maha