See Memory is a groundbreaking 30-minute film by painter and filmmaker Viviane Silvera, who blends art and science to explore the dynamic nature of memory. With a dual degree in psychology, Silvera brings together these two fields to create a captivating visual journey, premiering on public television stations nationwide during Mental Health Awareness Month in May 2025.

See Memory delves into the dynamic reconstructive nature of memory, using the visual power of 30,000 hand-painted stills animated through stop-motion to express complex scientific insights. See Memory brings to life the work of experts including Nobel Laureate Eric Kandel and other leaders in the field of memory research. The visual storytelling highlights the differences between explicit memories (the ones we talk about) and implicit memories (unconscious memories), with evolving brushstrokes shifting in color, mood, and emotion to mirror the brain’s processes of forming, altering, and storing memories.

At the heart of See Memory is an empowering message: memories are flexible, and therapeutic techniques can help individuals reshape their relationship with trauma, fostering healing and self-discovery. The film beautifully illustrates how sharing and processing trauma can lead to emotional freedom.

Following the artistic expression of memory, The Science Behind See Memory takes viewers inside Silvera’s studio, where experts including neuroscientist Daniela Schiller, Ph.D., psychiatrist Robert Elvove, M.D., narrative medicine expert Paul Browde, M.D., and psychotherapist Cheryl Dolinger Brown, LCSW, provide insights into the profound impact of memory on our sense of self. 

They reveal new discoveries in the connection between the unconscious and the conscious brain and discuss therapies aimed at moving traumatic memories from the posterior cingulate cortex (which holds only present thoughts but can become a repository for trauma) to the hippocampus, where they can be processed as long- term memories.

Enhancing the film’s emotional depth is its 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. Behind the scenes studio footage was captured by Emmy-nominated cinematographer Jonathan Bogarín. 

See Memory has been featured at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Imagine Science Film Festival, and The Friedman Brain Institute among other venues. It also serves as a valuable teaching tool in a national outreach program with a companion activity and study guide.