Fictional Time
2022
Installation
With the invention of the clock, Eternity ceased to serve as the
measure and focus of human events.
--- Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman
The quote above provoked my thinking about the relation
between time and reason for being. Time is a fictional concept,
but ironically, people are trapped by such a fictitious concept,
and the reality of life is suppressed. However, everyone can have
their own choices, opening to more possibilities if not
constrained by the social time clock, and each life will find a
unique meaning.
I hope my project will make people aware that the meaning of
time is separate from the meaning of life. Time is only an abstract
notion, but the experience of life is real.
The installation consists of two parts. The first part is a clock made
of candles being lit, and the irregularly shaped piles of wax that
drip down symbolizes the infinite possibilities of life when people
are free from time.In the second part, I will read an excerpt of The
Three-Body Problem, a sci-fi novel by Chinese author Cixin Liu,
along with the sound of a clock ticking. The two sounds are
synthesized and electronically visualized as the projection
background of the candle installation.
