Introduction

This work emerged as a personal and conceptual meditation on memory, loss, and the digital traces we leave behind.

“Sacred Remains” explores the intersection of technology and the human body, using digital reconstruction to create a modern equivalent of Byzantine iconography. Both systems of representation rely on mediated presence, symbolic representation, and a belief in the power of the image to connect the viewer with something beyond the material. But where the Byzantine icon was shaped by faith, this digital icon is shaped by data, by what remains in the cloud rather than in scripture. It invites the viewer not to worship, but to witness, to reflect on how technology now assumes the role of sanctifying memory, turning digital traces into sites of veneration.    

Conceptual Framework

Sacred Remains reflects on how, in a digital age, memory and presence persist through data.

In the past, physical spaces and objects preserved our past. Now, much of it is stored in the cloud, rendered in 3D, or lived out in online environments. Data preservation in virtual spaces opens up intriguing questions about memory, identity, and even the nature of reality. The way data is stored in these virtual spaces and the role it plays in shaping our collective memory and individual experience are a reflection of how we interact with technology today.

Virtual spaces enable idealized identities.

Another important aspect is the way we present ourselves online. It often reflects a curated, polished image that may not fully capture the complexity or authenticity of our lives. This creates a kind of "virtual memory" that is not just a collection of events, but rather a selective and often exaggerated version of who we are. This raises some interesting questions about the tension between reality and representation in digital spaces. How do these idealized memories shape our perceptions of ourselves and others? Are we losing touch with more authentic experiences, or is this idealization a form of self-empowerment, a way to control our narrative in a world full of chaos? Virtual spaces enable not just idealized identities, but also the creation of multiple, fragmented personas, which could be a metaphor for our evolving understanding of self in the digital age.

AI, 3D Modeling and AR

One of the pragmatic aspects of digital practice is the fact that information can be infinitely developed, recycled, and reproduced in various contexts – it can breed new ideas through recombination. The recontextualization of information in various relational combinations is inherently connected to the logic of the database, which ultimately lies at the core of any digital art project. As media theorist Lev Manovich has put it, a digital art object can be described as one or more interfaces to a database of multimedia material. Manovich’s definition points to the fact that the virtual object is bound to the concept of an interface that allows the user or viewer to experience it.

In Sacred Remains, AI functions as an interface – a system through which the digital traces of a lost friend – photos, messages, metadata – are accessed, interpreted, and transformed into a visual form. AI is the keeper of this collective memory, capable of drawing connections between different traces and reassembling them into a coherent, evocative form. Through this collaboration, the artist engages AI as both translator and medium: it translates the raw data of memory into the shape of a digital sculpture, while the artist guides this process, shaping the outcome through intentional design and emotional insight. The resulting digital work is not just a representation of the deceased, but a manifestation of how memory persists and can be reanimated through technology. In this sense, the interface becomes sacred – a site where loss, remembrance, and digital presence converge.

Interaction and Installation Mechanics
 

• Viewer scans QR code.

• Marker triggers the appearance of a 3D body.

• AR sculpture arises from digital remains.

The work is not ‘on display’ in a traditional sense – It must be summoned. It exists conditionally, like memory itself.

Conclusion

The act of digital reconstruction draws a deliberate parallel to Byzantine iconography, where the human figure was idealized not for realism, but to express spiritual truth and transcendence. In a similar way, Sacred Remains does not attempt to replicate the deceased realistically, but to evoke a sense of sacred presence through abstraction, light, and form. Just as icons served as intermediaries between the earthly and the divine – windows into a higher reality – this digital sculpture, accessed through augmented reality, becomes a contemporary icon: a portal into the preserved digital essence of a life once lived.

Both traditions rely on mediated presence, symbolic representation, and a belief in the power of the image to connect the viewer with something beyond the material. But where the Byzantine icon was shaped by faith, this digital icon is shaped by data, by what remains in the cloud rather than in scripture. It invites the viewer not to worship, but to witness, to reflect on how technology now assumes the role of sanctifying memory, turning digital traces into sites of veneration.