The Sign of Time
The Sign of Time
/rɪð(ə)m/
A strong, regular repeated pattern of
movement or sound.
(2) flow
/fləʊ/
The action or fact of moving along in a
continuous stream.
Time is flexible. If we describe the perception of time in words, it can be expressed as "rhythm" and "flow." Rhythm refers to a regular, repeating pattern, while flow indicates a continuous, smooth progression. These two experiences of time are different durations mediated through different media—our physical body’s exposure to the earth's rotation and electronic devices.
The artist uses light-sensitive paper as the medium, creating images by controlling different light sources for exposure. The framework involved gathering different people's perceptions of digital and natural time, the impacts they experienced, and their various coping methods. This process helped extract varying time durations, such as 6-8 hours of screen time versus over ten hours offline.
Each participant contributed an object that symbolized their personality or lifestyle, which the artist incorporated into the creation of images with varying exposure times.
Sat May 18
16:23
Sun May 19
15:20
Yellow Submarine
In November 1998, the submarine sailed into a labyrinth of coral. The spotlight illuminated a vibrant and mesmerizing scene. The crew misjudged the distance between two coral reefs, causing the submarine to become trapped, unable to move. Six hours later, the camera captured a blue submarine approaching from the distance, launching two torpedoes at the Aleph. The torpedoes precisely shattered the coral, freeing the submarine. The crew, on the verge of losing consciousness due to lack of oxygen, quickly maneuvered the submarine towards the surface. The mysterious submarine vanished into the deep sea like a ghost, and they never encountered it again during the rest of their voyage.
From The Submarine at Night, Chen Chuncheng, 2020.
A ritual was performed before this meditative drawing. Using tarot cards and spells revealed the story of each bone found by the Thames River. Through imagined dialogues with their former owners, the process became automatic.
While painting
I saw
everything