John Ritchie Images

Photographic Memory

The term “photographic memory” refers to the ability to remember something perfectly, as if it were a photograph. But that’s not how my memory works. My memory is a confusion of overlapping unrelated fragments mixed with remnants of dreams and invented scenes. It’s a mish-mash up there.

Using self-processed expired film and double exposures, I record my day-to-day life in a way that replicates the foibles of my memory. Results are unexpected and often marred by defects and processing mistakes, but this is how photographic memory works for me and, I suspect, most people.