SUPPORT the project

Fully tax deductible donations can be provided through our fiscal sponsor,

THE CENTER FOR INDEPENDENT DOCUMENTARY

All support above 10K will be acknowledged in the film.

Send checks to:

(memo: See Memory)

Center for Independent Documentary
PO Box 95216
Newton, MA 02495

About See Memory

A painter uses art to explore memory, PTSD, and the latest breakthroughs in neuroscience.

The nature of memory is elusive - even as it defines us. While we take memory’s role in our daily lives for granted, disruptions such as those caused by  Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or memory loss can shake the core of our identities. In See Memory, painter and filmmaker Viviane Silvera explores the dynamic  and reconstructive nature of memory using art as a powerful lens for understanding. The 30-minute documentary will air on public television stations beginning May 2025 during Mental Health Awareness month (check local listings).  

With its title inspired by Dr. Oliver Sacks’ article, Speak Memory, the film delves into groundbreaking research on the differences between explicit memories (the ones we talk about) and implicit memories (unconscious memories stored in our body). See Memory explores how ordinary and traumatic memories exist in the brain differently and examines therapeutic methods that can help individuals process and heal from painful memories. 

In the first half of the film, 30,000 hand-painted stills are brought to life through animation of Silvera’s paintings as she narrates scientific insights including those from Nobel Laureate Eric Kandel. The evolving brushstrokes reflect the brain’s own processes, showing how memories are continually formed, altered, and stored. The second half, “The Science Behind See Memory,” brings leading  neuroscientists and psychiatrists quoted throughout the narration of the art film on camera to share additional insight. Experts like Neuroscientist Daniela Schiller, Ph.D., professor of neuroscience and psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Robert Elvove, M.D., clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia University; psychiatrist Paul Browde, M.D.; and psychotherapist Cheryl Dolinger Brown, LCSW provide insights into memory’s impact on our sense of self. They reveal new discoveries of the bridges between the unconscious and the conscious brain and targeted therapies that can help relocate traumatic  memories from the posterior cingulate cortex  (which holds only present thoughts but can become a repository for trauma) to the hippocampus, where long term memories are processed and organized.

In addition to Viviane Silvera’s paintings, the film’s use of art includes a haunting and evocative score - composed for the first half by Emmy-nominated composer Paul Brill and for the second half by David John Williamson, trumpet player for Mumford and Sons., and captured by Emmy-nominated cinematographer Jonathan Bogarín.

See Memory invites viewers of all ages to engage in cross-generational dialogue, reduce mental health stigma, and share in the inspiring discoveries of how art and science intersect in the journey toward healing.