Chapter 1: The Intersection of Photography and Grief

The bond between photography and personal identity, alongside the themes of loss and mourning, weaves a narrative that lends significance to our life experiences. At its core, photography often grapples with the concept of death. We cherish images of those who have passed, clinging to them as proof of their existence. This fixation often leaves us grappling with unresolved grief, as we yearn for something beyond what a static photograph can provide. As we seek new ways to communicate with those we've lost, digital technologies are emerging to offer a sense of immortality. The rise of artificial intelligence enables users to animate still images, construct virtual realities, and even interact with the deceased through chatbot applications.

Since the mid-19th century, advancements in portrait photography have birthed a vast industry centered around identity creation and social connections. From family photo albums to official identification, the narratives surrounding these images have profoundly influenced our memories and identities. For many, our sense of self is intertwined with physical artifacts like photographs, letters, and keepsakes, along with our digital footprints. The advent of digital photography seemed to signal a revolution, yet it primarily focused on the outward appearance of images. Whether using a smartphone or a mirrorless camera, the end result remains the same. Our identities are transitioning from traditional photographs to online social platforms, and now increasingly towards AI technologies. This shift represents a genuine revolution in how we understand ourselves, as AI is designed to replicate and engage with our identities, driven in part by our desire to stay connected with those we have lost.

AI technologies such as deepfakes utilize generative adversarial networks (GANs) to produce remarkably realistic images. A GAN involves two AI systems collaborating: one generates an image based on new data, while the other assesses its authenticity. This interplay can create unsettlingly lifelike visuals, as seen in viral TikTok videos featuring Tom Cruise, challenging our perceptions of reality and raising significant security concerns. The facial recognition company D-ID has developed Deep Nostalgia for MyHeritage, a tool that animates photographs using GANs. This technology creates AI-driven animations from images of human faces, employing deep learning algorithms to fill in gaps and generate sequences of movement, such as smiling and blinking. This reanimation technology redefines our understanding of photography; it transforms images from mere snapshots into dynamic representations of identity.

Chapter 2: Holography and Interactive Memories

Holograms, which are three-dimensional images created using lasers, offer another avenue for interactive memory. Steven Spielberg's USC Shoah Foundation has developed a series of holographic narratives featuring Holocaust survivors. These holograms, known from documentary interviews and memoirs, provide an interactive experience, allowing viewers to ask questions and engage with the stories of survivors like Eva Kor. Many museum visitors leave wondering when such technology will be available for their own family narratives.

To further explore these concepts, I looked to artists who reimagine family stories through visual media, challenging our perceptions of still and moving images. For instance, Evan Apodeca, a Mexican American artist and filmmaker, animated old family photographs in his award-winning film, How Far Am I, using family interviews to bridge the gap between his American and Mexican identities. Similarly, Erin Shirreff created a fictional representation of the Roden Crater, manipulating images captured from the internet and re-shooting them under various lighting conditions to produce a digital sequence resembling motion. Rashed Haq has also ventured into this realm, exploring contemporary photography through technological lenses, using GAN-generated software to create abstract family portraits.

The essence of photography has always been intertwined with mortality; the medium serves as a reminder of the inevitable. However, in today’s digital landscape, traditional photography may no longer serve as the sole portal to the past. Interactive technologies challenge how we navigate grief, allowing us to maintain an ongoing dialogue with those we've lost. Rather than simply letting go, contemporary grief therapy promotes the idea of continuous bonds, where grief is acknowledged as an enduring presence. AI technologies facilitate this dialogue, enabling us to connect with the departed in ways previously unimagined. Ultimately, a photograph is just a representation of a person; as we grapple with loss, the traditional role of photography may be supplanted by AI holograms that offer a richer, more engaging interaction.

Ginger Liu is the founder of Ginger Media & Entertainment, a Ph.D. candidate researching the intersections of photography, death, and artificial intelligence, and she is also a podcast producer, journalist, author, artist, and filmmaker.