Monuments of A Fictitious Past

"Monuments of a Fictional Past" is a project that imagines a past where Soviet edifices dotting the Latvian landscape have been replaced with AI-generated counterparts. The work challenges viewers to consider the malleability of collective memory by contrasting the artificially generated with the seemingly authentic.

The installation features ephemeral, non-heroic structures that encourage scrutiny of conventional heroic narratives. Invigilators tell stories of events that could have transpired, whilst screens display the construction of monuments that never materialised. Enigmatic posters appear in public spaces where these structures were never erected, and a website hosts an archive with weekly updates on images and stories.

The project builds on Ørum's ongoing work "Freedom, Liberty, and Hip-Hop," which envisions alternative Danish histories. In the post-totalitarian context of Latvia, where memory is often manipulated for political purposes, the work offers a reminder that the past is not fixed and demonstrates the fluidity of historical narratives.