"The space of our lives is neither continuous, nor infinite, nor homogeneous or isotropic. [W]here [there are] cracks, gaps and points of friction…we seldom seek to learn more about it and more often than not, wander from one spot to another…without measuring, without taking into account or considering the course of space."
— George Perec, Species of Spaces
The Reflections Series
IMS "Reflections: A Digital Memory Living Lab" is a community-driven workshop series that explores the intersection of personal memory, local history, and emerging technology.
The series invites people from each community to partake in a free six-hour one-day event to collectively reflect on placemaking and memories. Through guided writing exercises, AI generations, interviews, and walks, participants collaborate to enrich the future of their community.
The lab does not require prior technical expertise and is open to everyone. All necessary technology and tools are provided.
The materials produced—personal images, videos, audio, and writings—become part of a living archive. By the end of the day, curated works are installed in an online 3D gallery and serve as the foundation for the long-term VR installation.
Lab Archive
Since its inception, the Living Lab has traveled to three cities, engaging diverse communities in the co-creation process.
PHASE A: Living Labs - Goals, Structure & Outcomes
The Present Futures team partnered with a local community leader to engage local audiences and guide Living Lab participants on-site for a six-hour day of reflection on placemaking, technology and collective storytelling. This framework has been iteratively developed through our 2024 labs: starting with a 4-hour pilot at A.MAZE in Berlin, expanding to 5 hours in NYC, and finally growing into the current 6-hour comprehensive model first implemented in Montreal.
We began labs without new technology, guiding participants to self-reflection through writing prompts, somatic exercises and group discussions. People paired up to generate shared audiovisual worlds, e.g., with friends they attended with, or more often, those who were more tech-savvy worked with those who were less experienced.
Custom AI Tools
Our custom-developed AI tools simplify the image and sound generation process, allowing people without technical experience to pick them up with ease while learning the fundamentals of AI media generation. Together, they discovered new approaches and took away ideas, tools and resources to continue their explorations outside of the lab (E.g., 3D object generation (Meshy), image-to-image generation, which allows one to expand existing or personal photos, or 3D object scanning (LumaAI on mobile)). By the end of the lab, each participant generated a collection of audio and visual assets that are the foundation for the final installation.
Goals
- // Individually and collectively, reflect on our values.
- // Translate those values into one’s vision of the future.
- // Find insights into how technology might better serve us.
Approaches
- // Written reflection with pen and paper
- // Experimenting with custom AI image and sound tools
- // Walking and creative exercises in physical spaces
Documentation & Results
By the end of the day, curated works are installed in an online 3D gallery and the materials become the basis for the long-term VR installation.
View 3D Gallery (NYC Lab) →
PHASE B: XR Installation - The Iterative Circle
The materials, voices, and visions gathered during the Living Labs directly inform the final XR installation. This is where the community's co-created data is transformed into an immersive, interactive experience.
The installation narratively mirrors the way the labs unfolded, guiding visitors through a three-room journey of reflection, archival discovery, and collaborative world-building.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Living Labs?
The concept of a Living Laboratory was first explored by MIT researchers, William Mitchell, Kent Larson and Alex Pentland. They argued that living lab represents a user-centric research methodology for sensing, validating and refining complex solutions in multiple and evolving real-life contexts.
Detailed Schedule of the Day
Introduction: Community Leaders introduce themselves, the project, and the goals of the living lab. This is followed by group introductions and a project presentation.
Note on Consent: We explain how all recorded materials and personal data will be used solely for this project. Participants sign a release form that allows them to opt-in selectively (e.g., choosing not to share photos or voice recordings).
Part 1 | Reflection (Analog):
• 1A. Written Reflections: A guided writing meditation and individual reflection exercise.
• 1B. Group Discussion: Sharing insights and themes.
• 1C. Sound Walk: A somatic tour where participants explore a location through sound to help articulate their sensory experiences.
Part 2 | Open Lab (Technology):
• 2A. Intro to Tools: A presentation on AI media generation fundamentals and group exercises.
• 2B. Rotation Stations: Participants learn to generate imagery and sound based on their Part 1 writing prompts. All generations are stored in our database and self-curated by participants.
• Audio Interviews: Participants interview each other to provide context for the worlds they create.
• Interview Station: An in-depth video interview with the Community Leader for the traveling XR installation.
Final Group Presentation: The 3D gallery is shown on a large screen. Participants speak about the worlds they have created, ending with a closing reflection.
Breakdown of the Day
First Half: Participants are guided through a written reflection on memories they have of their communities, and how they imagine their shared spaces to be like in the future. They are encouraged to write about their relationship with technology and to write sensorially; what is felt, heard, and seen. They are also asked to reimagine memories from new perspectives, embodying entities that may typically go unnoticed, like a runaway crab walking the sidewalks of Chinatown.
Second Half: An open technology lab where, in pairs, participants share their written responses while using audio recorders to document their conversations. These audio recordings are then used in the VR experience as soundscapes, providing context to the audiovisual worlds that they generate with the provided AI tools. The responses to the writing sessions are used as text input to generate new 360 degree audiovisual landscapes.