Echoes of the Prior: A Computational Phenomenology of Forgetting 42

Memory is not merely the storage of data; it is the scaffolding of reality. When biological memory fades, the world does not simply turn black; it regresses into an unrecognizable chaos. Echoes of the Prior is an interactive installation that attempts to visualize this subjective phenomenology of forgetting . By inducing controlled synaptic decay within a Feed-Forward 3D Reconstruction model, we create an artistic analogy for the erosion of the brain’s predictive priors. We position the Neural Network not as a tool for engineering, but as a cognitive proxy - a silicon brain whose structural degeneration evokes the disorienting, poetic, and terrifying experience of losing one’s grip on the world. Ultimately, we offer this framework as a catalyst, inviting the wider community to explore the uncharted potential of neuromorphic aesthetics in visualizing the fragility of intelligence. Interactive demo: https://decart-4d.github.io/.

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Publication Details

Journal
Proceedings of the ACM on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques
Published
2026-06-29
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1145/3816072
Primary Topic
Aesthetic Perception and Analysis
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Echoes of the Prior: A Computational Phenomenology of Forgetting 42

Bernhard Schölkopf, Andreas Geiger, Gege Gao
Proceedings of the ACM on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques
Aesthetic Perception and Analysis
article

Echoes of the Prior: A Computational Phenomenology of Forgetting 42

Bernhard Schölkopf, Andreas Geiger, Gege Gao
article en

Abstract

Memory is not merely the storage of data; it is the scaffolding of reality. When biological memory fades, the world does not simply turn black; it regresses into an unrecognizable chaos. Echoes of the Prior is an interactive installation that attempts to visualize this subjective phenomenology of forgetting . By inducing controlled synaptic decay within a Feed-Forward 3D Reconstruction model, we create an artistic analogy for the erosion of the brain’s predictive priors. We position the Neural Network not as a tool for engineering, but as a cognitive proxy - a silicon brain whose structural degeneration evokes the disorienting, poetic, and terrifying experience of losing one’s grip on the world. Ultimately, we offer this framework as a catalyst, inviting the wider community to explore the uncharted potential of neuromorphic aesthetics in visualizing the fragility of intelligence. Interactive demo: https://decart-4d.github.io/.

Proceedings of the ACM on Computer Graphics and Interactive TechniquesVol. 9(3)
Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (DE), Autonomous Healthcare (US), Empirical Technologies (United States) (US), University of Tübingen (DE)
KU Leuven
Reduced inequalities
Openalex Percentile: Top 16%
Aesthetic Perception and Analysis
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