DEJA NEW

Déjà New is a speculative design project exploring how emerging technologies might reshape our relationship with traumatic memories. Inspired by my personal experience of revisiting childhood memories through therapy, the project investigates the potential of AI-generated narratives, VR, and immersive environments as tools for reconstructing and reflecting on the past. The project began by questioning whether technology could transform painful memories into alternative experiences. Through development and audience testing, the focus evolved toward a deeper exploration: not changing the memory itself, but understanding how revisiting and reconstructing memories may create new perspectives on experiences that continue to shape us. The title combines déjà vu, the feeling of having experienced something before, with the idea of something new, suggesting that while memories remain part of our past, our relationship with them can change.