‘Audio Memories’ have reshaped our relationship with the past. This work deconstructs the abstract system of 'Nostalgia-as-a-Service' (NaaS), a dominant force in the late 2020s economy. It presents a cartographic visualization of the NaaS market, charting its projected fluctuations, risks, and potential points of systemic failure. Intricate details, reminiscent of traditional Nepali art, are computationally generated, revealing the hidden patterns and vulnerabilities in this seemingly stable, highly personalized, technologically advanced, and sentimental industry.

The world is saturated with personalized sensory experiences, leading to a sense of collective detachment. 'Audio memories' dominate. The environment reflects a blend of high-tech urban centers and areas ravaged by resource extraction. Inhabitants are deeply immersed in curated nostalgia and augmented realities, causing public spaces to become paradoxically isolating. The culture grapples with the conflict between authentic experience and filtered, commodified, on-demand digital recollection. History is increasingly subjective, shaped, remixed, and monetized by individual sonic interpretations and corporate narratives.

This project exposes the hidden vulnerabilities within emerging tech trends, and helps you reflect. Consider our growing reliance on curated digital constructs of reality. Be concerned about the ecological and social consequences of 'audio memories'. Critically question, who controls your memories, and what is the true cost of reliving the past?

Inspired by AI and cartography, Thapa, shaped by Nepali culture and its intricate Thangka paintings, delves into the impermanence reflected in fluctuating financial models. For this project, he analyzed 'Nostalgia-as-a-Service' market data. Custom AI algorithms project future scenarios, highlighting system instabilities. These projections are translated into map-like visualizations. Color gradients, contours, and symbols mirror traditional Thangka art’s detail-oriented work, representing fluctuations in value, and risk, offering a unique, culturally-infused perspective on the constructed, and potentially unsustainable nature of 'audio memories'.

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