instax has worked with leading researchers to create printed memories, in a groundbreaking experiment via HERO that sits at the intersection of science and art.
Led by research scientist Dr Paul Scotti, [Mind]ography combines Functional MRI (fMRI) brain scans and cutting-edge machine learning to reconstruct memories from the mind. With support from Research Imaging NSW (RINSW), Scotti trained his AI algorithm to recognise the unique brain patterns of Nicole Toum, a social worker from Sydney, Australia.
The experiment focused on core memories that Nicole hadn’t captured in photos. Having lost her father in 2018, Nicole chose three core memories to be reconstructed through [Mind]ography. Nicole’s memories became the centrepiece of an exhibition at China Heights Gallery, where the printed memories were displayed.
HERO worked with Chisel to produce an emotion-provoking film of the [Mind]ography journey, rolling out as a social-first campaign supported by PR and paid media.
“This is literally cutting-edge, mind-reading research,” said Scotti. “We scanned Nicole’s brain as she was seeing and imagining thousands of images, teaching a machine learning algorithm to recognise her brain activity. Then we scanned Nicole’s brain as she imagined her personal memories, and used AI to create a visual reconstruction of what she was imagining”.
“These images aren’t just a 1 to 1 copy of what she saw in the past. They reflect more brain activity than that – her history, her memories, her emotions. So the outputs are more meaningful, I think,” added Scotti.
“This has been an incredibly exciting project, all the way from concept to reality. A true world first. I’d like to thank our wonderful clients at Fujifilm Australia for their trust and support, along with our amazing HERO and Chisel team. And of course, don’t forget to print your memories with an INSTAX mini Link 3 printer,” added HERO Sydney executive creative director, Ben O’Brien.
“At the heart of our instax brand is memories. We are thrilled with the results of our ‘mindography’ project, which has seen a talented research team bring to life precious memories from Nicole’s mind and make them tangible to share with the world,” said Mary Georgievski, general manager – photo imaging, FUJIFILM Australia.
“Whilst many instax users also enjoy smartphones as a way of capturing beautiful photos – we hope the launch of the new instax mini Link 3 will help many relive their special moments with instant film while making the whole process feel joyful,” added Georgievski.
Credits:
Client: Fujifilm
General manager – photo imaging division: Mary Georgievski
Head of Product Marketing Operations – Photo Imaging Division: Daniel Paul
Brand & Digital Marketing Manager: Sakshi Vyas
Senior Product Manager – Photo Imaging Division: Roy Kim
Brand & Marketing Coordinator – Photo Imaging Division: Vanessa Chen
Agency – HERO
Executive Creative Director: Ben O’Brien
Senior Art Director: Mitchell Sutton
Senior Copywriter: Josh Campbell
Art Director: Charlotte Smith, Johnathan Akiki
Designer: Sammy Lee
Studio Manager: Daniel Hickey
Senior Producer: Jeff Edwards
Executive Planning Director: Lu Vardy
Junior Planner: Grace Coutts
Senior Account Manager: Sophie Toy
Communications Director: Ebony Santin
Communications Manager: Stephanie Rinaldi
Social Manager: Gemma Davies
Production – Chisel
Senior Producer: Emma Whitehouse
Directors: Jarid Seymour / Emily Mays
DOP: Jarryd Sinclair
Editors: Ben Bowles
Colourist: Peter Danks
Mix: Anthony Marsh
Animator: Adrian Katz
