“What happens if the world becomes more and more digital? How does memory manifest itself if we don’t have objects to relate to?”

These questions by Nina Due, curator of Design Museum, are part of a challenge launched by the Museum and Swarovski, to make a reflection about how does our digital era is or will be affecting our memories. The results are being now exhibited at the Design Musem in London until the 13th of January 2013.

You will be surprised by the 15 installations conceptualised and developed by the designers Ron Arad, Hye-Yeon Park, Hilda Hellstrom, Marcus Tremonto, Philippe Malouin, Fredrikson Stallard, Arik Levy, Anton Alvarez, Paul Cocksedge, Troika, Yves Behar, Maarten Baas, Semiconductor, rAndom International and Beta Tank.

Lolita by Ron Arad

Amplify by Yves Behar

Crystallize by Paul Cocksedge

Osmosis Interactive Arena by Arik Levy

Pandora by Fredrikson Stallard

The Monument by Hilda Hellstrom

Thought Cloud by Maarten Baas

The project of our choice is “The shaping grows” by Semiconductor: an exploration of digital shapes in a computer-generated subterranean cave. “Controlled by seismic data collected from recent earthquake activity around the world, their changing forms represent multiple time frames of geological events and processes, mirroring the entire evolution of our ever-shifting planet. By studying the shape and structure of these raw molecular structures we can decode the memory of their making and deduce the conditions in which they grew.”

Semiconductor, Digital Crystal: Swarovski at the Design Museum from Design Museum on Vimeo.

While you can’t visit the exhibition, you can check the designers’ explanation of their concept and the result here.

Digital Crystal Trailer from Design Museum on Vimeo.