In the lens of The Virtual Window by Anne Friedberg, a window is an opening to a 4-dimensional world. It is existing as a framed perspective that exists only in a humanist context. Windows exist only to allow for our perception of an “event” on the other side of the wall. In front of one, the viewer is positioned in space relative to the fixed frame that both limits and allows for perception. There is a separation between subject who sees the world and the world that is seen. Similarly, the screen is a “virtual window” and acts in the same way. The computer window is a singular frame of perspectives that contains multiple layers within, just as a camera produces a mechanically produced perspective. A virtual image is perceived in the brain. It is intangible, uncapturable – the immateriality of memory. In contrast, a mirror frames perception in a different way. It is substitutive, deceptive, and illusory. It is reflection rather than a direct, veridical, unmediated vision. However, whether it be the window, screen, mirror, etc. their use in perception are dependent upon the dematerialization of our bodies into information. Meaning, we are no longer perceiving what is actually there, but instead an essentially curated version of the original (i.e. framed, layered, reflected).
The text brought conversation I had not previously considered such as the screen being a “virtual window” but doing the very same from a humanist perspective that a window does. This made me think of the objects with screens that we use to pass time. I think of the old black and white television shows my father would watch when he was ill and could not move from the chair. The screen and moving image allowed the perspective to change in the “window” but the position of the viewer did not. The imagery is focused on because it allows the audience to perceive an event they cannot access.
Mostly, this text has informed the conceptually driven material choices, visuals, and form my finished project ultimately take. In my work I want to recreate both the physical and virtual planes that are altered by humanist perception of the world around us. By this, I mean the various layers of “time” I am representing (my experience of slowing/speeding vs my fathers), as well as the destinations in which time passes (i.e. if looking though the same window, you could see a passing of time, no matter if it is perceived to be quickly or slowly. The window is looked payed more attention to when the other side of it is inaccessible. A mirror acts similarly but is relating the passing of time to the human body (and our inability to perceive our original selves). I see this work as a form of cubism but is capturing same time from different perspectives) and I want the work to visually reflect that. For the projection portion of the work, I want to create two video channels, each composed of layered imagery representing the individual perception of passing time. I am doing so in various ways, such as static, moving, multiply layered, oddly angled, abstract shifts, etc. I will then overlap these projections onto a singular object. This sculptural object that will host the imagery will be composed of various layers and materials, vaguely resembling a window. The ‘window’ is viewed from both sides and will have bits of mirror and acrylic. The mirror is meant to relate the object to the body, while the translucency hints at what is on the other side. The passing of time is only in memory, and therefore only parts of the projections will be visible. I am depicting separate experiences from the same “frame,’ that being the framing of my father’s illness (and his illness being why the window becomes important). To the viewer, the object acts as a fixed frame to draw attention to the perception.
The window acts as the catalyst for focused perception, which has effect on the speed at which time passes. It is also the catalyst for the perception of my work, offering viewers glimpses of (my personal experiences of) passing time, and in turn affect the spectator’s own perception of the time that is passing.
From Eternity to Here by Sean Carroll defines time in roughly three ways: time labels moments, time measures the duration lapsed between events, and time is a medium through which we move. First, time labels moments meaning it gives sense to the instances that were perceived linearly. This is often associated to an event (time and place), where each point in space occurs once at each moment in time. It is often described as block time, an ordered sequence of correlated events. The entirety of spacetime is the four measurable coordinates (3 of which are space, and 1 of time). Time enables one to place specificity on that of which is spacetime. Next, time measures duration lapsed between events, meaning it identifies the amount elapsed between 4 coordinates and another 4 coordinates. The key to measuring time is synchronized repetition – one process repeats itself while another returns to its original state in a synchronized pattern. A good clock is something that repeats predictably, such as the vibrations atoms and molecules, or more traditionally the movement of celestial objects. In addition, we feel the passage of time: through processes like metabolism, breathe, electrical pulses, digestion, rhythms of the central nervous system, etc. However, these “clocks” can be affected by external conditions and emotional states, and therefore become subjective units rather than reliably repeatable. The theory of relativity explains that the distance travelled does not necessarily equal the change in coordinates, and therefore time labeling moments is not interchangeable with the time elapsed between these events. To illustrate this, two clocks traveling to the same place will experience different durations depending on the path they took to get there. A straight line between two points is shortest distance, but a straight trajectory between to events describes the longest duration. Lastly, time is a medium through which we move (more so of a metaphor). It has direction (past to future), while space doesn’t (all directions equal). However, we do not move through it in the same way we do space (i.e. amount of space over time). 1 unit of time will always be 1 unit of time (because time measures itself, i.e. amount of time over time.) That being said, space and time as a single entity. If we could step outside, we would see past, present, and future all at once.
This text instilled a decent understanding of what time is, and what exactly it does. It is important to note that although it relies on systematic and repeatable processes, it is still a construct reliant on the natural processes of the universe. Being that the work I am making relates the perception of time to the illness of my father, I am particularly interested in the use of biologically repetitive process as a measurement for the passing of time. When considering how we perceive time, our biological clocks and the rate at which it moves gives us a relative, measurable point go through our experiences. The rhythms within us create a pace, and ultimately a unit at which we can individually perceive the passing of time. I am focused on this internal pacing, in relation to its outside influences such as emotion, attention, movement, etc. I am also exploring long term influences such as aging/illness, and how this is linked the slowing of an individual’s subjective time.
I am particularly interested in layering the biological theory with that of the proportional and perceptual theories. The proportional theory is the idea that as you get older, each amount of tine exists as a fraction of your life. An elderly man experiences a faster year than a toddler because he is experiencing 1/80th rather than 1/8th. This however, overlaps and contradicts with the perceptual theory. This theory explains that the speeding of time is linked to our experience of the world around us and seems to be correlated with how much information our minds absorb and process. The more information, the slower the time. Time moves more quickly in a state of absorption because our attention is focused, and we block out our surrounds as well as excess cognitive information. These three factors affecting our individual perceptions of time becomes the basis for my work and site of exploration. I aim exploring the overlap of these theories through the lens of my personal experience in relation to my father’s illness. The perception of time becomes the signifier of identity.
“The present considering the past is memory, the present considering the present is awareness, and the present considering the future is expectation…” (Carroll).
In my work I wanted to recreate both the physical and virtual planes that are altered by humanist perception of the world around us. By this, I mean the various layers of “time” I am representing (my experience of slowing/speeding vs my fathers), as well as the destinations in which time passes/ an event occurs (i.e. if looking though the same window, you could see a passing of time, no matter if it is perceived to be quickly or slowly. The window is looked payed more attention to when the other side of it is inaccessible. A mirror acts similarly but is relating the passing of time to the human body (and our inability to perceive our original selves). I see this work as a form of cubism but is capturing same time from different perspectives through different theoretical lenses) and I want the work to visually reflect that. For the projection portion of the work, I want to create two video channels, each composed of layered imagery representing the individual perception of passing time. I am doing so in various ways, such as static, moving, multiply layered, oddly angled, abstract shifts, etc. I will then overlap these projections onto a singular object. This sculptural object that will host the imagery will be composed of various layers and materials, vaguely resembling a window. The ‘window’ is viewed from both sides and will have bits of mirror and acrylic. The mirror is meant to relate the object to the body, while the translucency hints at what is on the other side. The passing of time is only in memory, and therefore only parts of the projections will be visible. I am depicting separate experiences from the same “frame,’ that being the framing of my father’s illness (and his illness being why the window becomes important). To the viewer, the object acts as a fixed frame to draw attention to the perception and ultimately affect their perception of time.