The Buried Signal
The Memory Transmitter
2086 Narrative
By 2086, memory has become a controlled resource. Under the disguise of a mandatory Health Maintenance Check, routine vaccinations are distributed to society. Hidden within the vaccination is an AI-programmed nano-chip designed to multiply throughout the brain, silently erasing personal and collective memory gradually. As memories fade, identities weaken, allowing those in power to maintain control through manufactured forgetting, compliance, and fear. Hidden within this controlled world, a resistance group known as the Refusers preserves remaining fragments of memory through analogue archives and devices. Using “The Memory Transmitter”, memories are projected through sound and image to expose the hidden truths behind the vaccination system and form resistance against those in power.
Spatial Concept
The Refusers transform the existing structure into a sanctuary for memory preservation, ritual, and resistance. Derived from “The Memory Transmitter,” the stepped horn intervention becomes the project’s central design language, translating sound amplification into a geometric form carved through the building. Wrapped by suspended walkways and bell balconies, the intervention forms a ritual space centred around signalling. Inspired by the resonance of the Bonshō bell, sound travels through the horn void and into the urban landscape, inviting outsiders towards awareness and resistance. Memory archive pods preserve analogue fragments of erased memory, while grated walkways guide individuals through confrontation and reflection, rebuilding memory and forming resistance against those in power.
