Reflective Memories is an animated artwork consisting of 24 family photographs from across Denmark, taken between the years of 1890 and 1920. The artist Joachim Fleinert often uses collected or found photography in his practice that he use to relate to his life and background as a Dane. In his work he is exploring the photographic medium historical background in themes related to Danish history, national identity and heritage.

With his interventions and animations Joachim Fleinert have tried to recreate the moments when the photographs in the animations were captured, offering a glimpse into the challenges of early photography. At that time, due to the slow mechanical and chemical development processes, one of the most difficult aspects of portraiture was capturing the eyes. Both the camera and the subject needed to remain completely still. In addition to this, Reflective Memories not only provides a historical window into photography’s early obstacles but also explores a deeper theme: how we interpret empathy in a portrait, and how accurate are we in reading the emotions of others?

The artwork raises questions about the creation of narrative in an image. Who truly controls the story? Is it the photographer, who chooses the exact moment to press the shutter? Is it the person being photographed, whose presence defines the scene? Or is it the viewer, who brings their own ability to read emotions and empathy into the interpretation of the image?

The inspiration for the animations in Reflective Memories comes from a 1997 study conducted at Cambridge University, titled "Reading the Mind in the Eyes." The primary aim of the study was to assess how well individuals could interpret others’ thoughts and emotions solely based on subtle cues from their eyes, without relying on other facial features or body language. The researchers were particularly interested in whether individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), especially those with Asperger's Syndrome, would perform differently on this test compared to neurotypical individuals. While people with ASD are known to experience empathy, they often struggle with recognizing and interpreting emotional cues.

In the experiment, participants analyzed cropped photographs showing only the eyes and the surrounding region of individuals displaying various emotions. The study revealed that the gaze plays a critical role in understanding another person’s emotions. It found that people with ASD, particularly those with Asperger’s, have difficulty reading emotions from the eyes. However, the study also showed that even neurotypical individuals encountered some challenges in this task, though to a lesser extent.

By focusing on the gaze in the animations, Reflective Memories highlights how essential the eyes and their surrounding areas are for interpreting emotions. This connection to the study also opens up a philosophical question: could this diversity in interpreting emotional cues be the reason some images resonate with us more deeply than others? Ultimately, Reflective Memories invites us to reflect on the complex ways in which we read and respond to images, suggesting that our interpretations may vary more than we realize.