The installation “Time" features a few sand clocks mounted on a wall, filled with metal powder, controlled by magnets and equipped with sensors. Initially, magnets above the clocks prevent the metal powder from falling, freezing time. When a viewer approaches, sensors deactivate the magnets, allowing the powder to fall and time to resume. Once the powder has fallen, a motor flips the clock to restart the process.
Inspired by Hartmut Rosa's Acceleration: The Change in Temporal Structures in Modernity, this artwork explores how modernity reshapes our perception of time. Rosa argues that social and technological acceleration creates a pervasive sense of urgency and pressure. This artwork links time to movement, suggesting that time progresses only when observed. The viewer's presence activates the clocks, emphasising human engagement's role in time perception. It reflects modern life's urgency and constant pressure on the accelerated time. To confront the passage of time, by observing the movement of time, to see and feel the time. The artwork serves as a meditation on time, human agency, and the accelerating pace of life, exploring how our actions and presence shape the flow of time.
Artist bio
As fascinated by the intersection of time, technology, and human perception, my work is shaped by my personal experiences with the relentless passage of time. Growing up in a fast-paced society, I have often felt overwhelmed by the constant pressure to achieve, meet deadlines, and keep up with the rapid pace of modern life. This has left me feeling anxious and stressed, grappling with the sensation that time is slipping away too quickly.
These experiences of stress and anxiety have deeply informed my artistic practice. Inspired by Hartmut Rosa's exploration of temporal structures in modernity, my installation seeks to capture and reflect these feelings of urgency and pressure. I aim to create a visceral experience that resonates with viewers who, like myself, feel the weight of time bearing down upon them. The dynamic interaction between viewer and artwork serves as a powerful metaphor for the relationship between human engagement and the perception of time, and creates a moment for reflection and contemplation, inviting viewers to explore their own relationship with time and consider how societal pressures and technological advancements shape our experience of temporal flow.