Memory Lane: A Nostalgic Walk

Kylie Rah

Medium: Single channel video.

Public Domain artwork referenced in this piece:

Conrad, Con, composer; Larry Spier, composer; B.G. DeSylva, lyricist. “Memory Lane” Warner Bros. Inc., 1924.

Artist Statement

Memory Lane: A Nostalgic Walk is a single-channel video and sound work that reinterprets the 1924 song "Memory Lane," originally performed by Fred Waring’s Pennsylvanians. This piece delves into the aesthetics of the late 1920’s media landscape by combining historical audio and visual materials with contemporary digital processing. The audio component is a contemporary lo-fi jazz remix of the original 1924 composition. The waltz rhythm is deliberately slowed into a more ambient, continuous beat, promoting meditative listening.

The visual element is a continuous single-channel video featuring a looping sequence constructed from contrasting 1920’s media: the staged live-action dance sequences from The Talk of Hollywood (1929) and the whimsical movements of the surrealist silent cartoon Felix the Cat from “Flim Flam Films” (1927).

The contrast between Felix's literal break from the screen and the dancers' conventional performance emphasizes the aesthetic shift from silent-era magic to early talkie realism.This contrast between human performance and cartoon fantasy is amplified through juxtaposition with new animation that mimics the monochrome palette and slow temporal shifts of early film.

Blending these archival clips with contemporary digital techniques, the work reflects on the non-linear nature of cinematic memory being reimagined within the current digital media environment. The piece focuses purely on repetition, contrast, and the fluid layering of historical media forms.

About the Artist: Kylie Rah

Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP), Tisch School of the Arts, First-year Graduate Student

Kylie Rah is a multimedia artist who creates immersive installations by combining digital fabrication, interactive technology, and sound. Utilizing 3D-printed sculptures

and hybrid forms, she explores the dynamic relationship between physical and digital spaces, focusing on the interplay of materiality and audience experience. Her works are multisensory environments that evolve in real time, reflecting the fluidity and transformation of identity. Drawing inspiration from nature, she employs digital techniques to create fragmented and deconstructed representations of life forms. Ultimately, the interaction between the artwork and the viewer represents a shared, dynamic exchange, prompting a deeper engagement with perceptions and the inner aspects of the self.

Her key group exhibitions include the 2023 CICA New Media Art Exhibition/ Conference(NMAC); Dragon’s Chant: 2024 Lunar New Year Exhibition (Blublu Art, New York); and Loop Art Critique (LAC) XR web Metaverse platform. Rah’s solo exhibitions include: Dismantling the Self (TYA Gallery, Seoul); The Interaction of Sound: Floating in Outer Space (APY Art Plug Yeonsu Artist Residency, Korea); and the Third Space From the Sun 14th Annual Interactive Art Show (NYC Resistor, New York). Rah also participated in the government-supported art education program, ACC Media Cube Screening, at the National Asian Culture Center (Korea).

Footnote

To view the original sheet music for “Memory Lane” :

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-vp/5819/ 

Citation:

Conrad, Con; Spier, Larry; and De Sylva, "Memory Lane" (1924). Vocal Popular Sheet Music Collection. Score 5819.

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-vp/5819