Nominated for the Melkeweg Award – given annually to a BA student who demonstrates exceptional talent, a unique vision and true originality in their graduation project.
Crafted through puppetry, Glass Memory explores how technology is shaping the future of human relationships. The film follows a man sharing intimate, everyday moments with his partner. She seems present, yet something feels distant. When his smart glasses break, reality is revealed: she was never physically there. She is an AI avatar, made visible through the glasses. By revealing the hands and strings that animate the puppets, the film draws attention to the idea of control and to the systems that increasingly shape our lives.Glass Memory reflects on an emerging shift, as relationships between humans and AI begin to reshape social interaction and companionship. The film questions what happens when artificial intelligence is intentionally designed to simulate emotion and friendship, and what this means for human relationships, which, unlike AI, are complex, imperfect, and finite by nature.
This project began with a personal challenge: to turn my research on the social impact of AI into a speculative story, while telling it in the most analog way possible. Puppetry became a conscious choice to explore a digital and technological future through a physical, handmade medium. I created the entire project independently, from screenwriting and storyboarding to puppet making, set building, and filming. I learned each of these skills from scratch throughout the process.The installation was designed to feel vintage, nostalgic, and playful, attracting audiences of different ages. The theatre format was also a deliberate choice. By building a physical stage around the screen, I wanted to preserve the magic of traditional puppet theatre: the curtains, the wonder, and the suspension of disbelief. The aim was to make the audience forget there was a screen at all.
The project was nominated for the Melkweg Award, which recognizes exceptional talent, unique vision, and originality in a graduation project. After the Graduation Show at Dutch Design Week 2025, Glass Memory was exhibited at the Short Movie Sunday Festival at Volkshotel in Amsterdam. It was also featured in the Great Dutch Art Calendar 2026 and the magazine De Wereld van het Poppenspel.
