Blog Post 2: Memory and Momento

This week, we continued delving deeper and deeper into the concept of time and how it corresponds to art and creating the art form. Our newest subjects were that of the creation of time concepts and the idea of memory and framing. Through the readings, What is Time?  by G.J. Whitrow as well as the film Momento, we began exploring how time was and is conceived as well as that of how memory is formed and its effect on people, places, things, and, of course, the art form.

            So we began class with a drawing. We were asked the simple question of “How did we get here?” Yet even such a simple question can leave room for a thousand and one intricate interpretations. Many of us drew maps, some drew feet, and some even went as far as interpreting and drawing how they came to be and the cycle of birth and death. There were so many ways to perceive the questions which ultimately lead back to one of our definitions or attributes of art which is that art is infinitely interpretable. Time, being a critical part of art is also vastly interpretably. So we then referred back to the readings and how early thinkers perceived the concept of time. It was fascinating to see all the mechanisms used to enumerate and order the process and progression of time. The Mayans used astrology and cosmology as their basis for creating a calendar and calculating the movement of time while Egyptians used their main source of water, the Nile River, as well as the pyramids and the sun to direct time.

In the second half of the reading, What is Time?, the subject of memory was then explored. Upon reading this, I found the article to be overall, very interesting but I had some disagreements. One thing I disagreed with was the studies of Kant and how he discussed the superiority of the human race over that of animals and those below them. He made it seem as though animals and insects lack the capacity to recall and remember or distinguish between past, present, and future. This, I believe to be completely incorrect because animals, especially domestic pets like dogs, cats, mice, and other animals like elephants and monkeys, do indeed posses the capacity to remember and it has been documented that animals and even some insects possess an extraordinary sense of memory and are able to recognize faces, schematics, or systems. Like humans, they also possess instinct which is an internal and natural memory that could also be learned or conditioned. Nonetheless, instinct serves as our core memory. It guides us in survival and thrival and allows us to be able to communicate or even be “in tune” with our environment. So with that said, Kant’s claim is simply opinionated and false.

After discussing the readings, we were then shown the first half of the film, Momento by Christopher Nolan, to help us further engage in our discussion of time and memory. Momento so far proved to be a psychological and mind-bending thriller that will have its viewers always asking questions and always trying to “remember” what happened and how it happened just like as the main character, Lenny does. The film follows the story of Leonard “Lenny” Shelby, an ex-insurance investigator who finds himself suffering from the adverse effects of strange type of amnesia or short term memory loss which is similar to that of one of his past clients, Sammy Jankis. He is on heart-pounding and dangerous journey to find the murderer of his wife yet what impedes him is his inability to form new memories or even hold onto to certain memories. It is so damaging to the point that he must make constant notes to himself or even tattoo notes to his body to remind him of where he is, who certain people are, and who is looking for—the real murderer. This story is indeed mind-bending in the way it continually regresses backwards in order to move forward in Lenny’s journey to find the killer. Upon watching the film, I took note of how the story was rewinding but progressing. What was interesting was that as it was progressing further and further back in time the scenes were getting shorter and shorter. I also noted that everytime Lenny started his memory over, it would flash back to a black and white scene where he was on the phone discussing to an unknown person information about one of his past clients, Sammy. This scene was also always progressing and never repeating because it was introducing another piece of vital information that would correspond to the next scene (which was in color) in this progressive-regression story. What’s also interesting is the fact that the further back the storyline goes, the more Lenny as well as the audience begins to question who the real killer is. We learn more about the alleged killer “Teddy” and his connection to this mysterious “John G” whom Lenny is supposed to kill. We also learn more about Natalie, a woman who shares the same pain as Lenny and pities him because she too lost her spouse, yet hired Lenny to find and kill the suspected murderer of her husband. Yet this suspect seems to want to have a plan to kill Lenny first.

I can honestly say that I am purely perplexed and puzzled by this movie and am not sure what will happen next. I have a feeling that Natalie may prove to be not as sweet and pitiful as she seems to be and that she, not Teddy, could be the killer and that John G is not really anyone—just someone Natalie made up to distort Lenny’s memory of what really happened. Another guess is that Lenny himself could be the murderer or his wife may have committed suicide or something totally convoluted and crazy!  I also see the ending of this story turning out to be nothing but a dream or an endless memory and that all of this never really happened. There’s no telling what could happen but I feel that the story is telling us that things are not always what they seem and that even memories can be distorted version of reality and of the truth.