50:50 || Are we there yet?
1st Open Call - ScArt
My Map of Time in 2022
What comes to mind when you think of TIME?
- I think of how time feels - its textures differ depending on our emotional/psychological state - time can be a voyage but it can also be an instant. Time is never closed; the past can be reconstructed through memory, much like the present. I think of the visceral materiality of time and how to articulate it.
- I think of Leonora Carrington - who wrote the most gorgeous surreal stories where the malleable nature of space-time featured heavily:
I am not really here in England in this scented garden although it does not disappear as it nearly always does, I am inventing all this and it is about to disappear, but it does not. Feeling so strong and happy is very dangerous, something horrible is about to happen ... All the things I love are going to disintegrate and there is nothing I can do about it unless I can solve the Snow Queen's problem.
- Here, the protagonist of The Hearing Trumpet, ninety year old Marian Weatherby flits between worlds in her head at the drop of a word or a peculiar sound - a sort of miscellaneous recall - her memory is ahistorical yet also clairvoyant. This layering of space-time can offer real clarity to complex emotional problems for it can manifest connections that do not exist in a linear teleological frame.
Tell us what you would like to explore more that relates to TIME
- I would like to explore the transformative imagined spaces where time flattens, lending itself to new ways of knowing, relating and existing in the world. Interrogating imagined space can remake and invigorate how we live in real spaces - the fluidity of time is crucial to this practice!
How does TIME affect you or those around you, is it a positive or negative thing?
- Time is the answer to all our woes - if we had more of it we could do anything, become invincible, reach theoretical immortality - it's the most precious of resources and yet a consummate human fallacy, all bundled into a singular notion that fuels modern society (the good and the bad).
Why does TIME matter to you?
- I am chronically bad at managing my time - I often process things slowly (others far too quickly) and always expend precious time in the eternal quest for some non-existent perfection - I honestly don't know why I torture myself? But yeah, I am nonetheless fascinated by this silly little illusion of time and why I never seem to have enough of it. I compulsively experiment with my perception of time; it's as if there's another version of me, this divine master of temporality who resides in a time-free dimension of elsewhere, she excels at everything and wants for nothing. Thinking more about this, it sounds like another version of hell; if I could poach a spot in between these two fictions, that would be sweet.
What do you hope to gain from participating in this Residency programme?
- I think that the pandemic has warranted more space to think deeply than many of us ever predicted, we've been positioned on paths we never thought we'd follow, pulverising dreams while at the same time constructing new ones. I look forward to speaking with others about their observations on time, how they conceptualised it pre-pandemic versus now, how this has impacted their material and inner realities.
- I shall be grateful for the guided mediation by our mentors - I think that (paradoxically) having a clear structure framed by foundational questions is essential for these types of conversations flow organically, for minds to coalesce and become inspired a more profound discourse. I hope to inculcate some of these ideas/brainwaves into my own writing, to produce new texts inspired by these experiences.
What do you feel you could gain from the mentorship aspect of this programme and the connection to artists, scientists, researchers and industry makers?
- I finished university last May - I am really missing the communal aspect of my undergrad years, in particular the intellectual/creative mechanisms that it moulded in all of us. Our collective discussions, both in and outside of class, were enormously stimulating. The professionals involved in this programme have similarly dynamic knowledge-bases. I am excited to interact with, probe and learn from their practices/ ways of thinking and build real connection through thoughtful conversation.
What do you wish your peers cared about more and how does this issue connect to the theme of TIME?
- Palestine - I had the pleasure to make some incredible Palestinian friends while on Erasmus. Their intergenerational resilience is something that shook me to my core - the belief in the self-determination of their people is eternal - free from the constraints of time.
- I also think the proliferation of Data Centres in Ireland is incredibly perturbing; how these cyber-technological empires are enmeshed in every political/socio-cultural system. I absolutely advocate technological innovation however it is certain that Big Business does not have our best interests at heart. Young people feel powerless against these multinational giants but I wish we could petition our governments more effectively to create technology directed at the genuine improvement of our quality of life, not our suffocation.
Tell us about something that you saw or read about recently (any topic), share why you found it interesting and how you believe it impacts young people.
- I was reading about virtual influencers, these influencers created by tech/content producing companies; the most famous of which is Brud responsible for the genesis of Miquela (@lilmiquela) the 'forever 19 year old AI robot'.
- Young people (for the most part) have great literacy in fakery, in the smoke & mirrors propogated by the media - what's interesting is that they see no difference between the influencer culture performed by real people versus influencer culture performed by virtual avatars - it's all fiction. The arguments against the rise of virtual influencers - many of which are valid - provide an interesting platform to ponder our increasing malaise with material reality - this is truly frightening as it is endemic.
Describe an experience you are proud of where you were part of a team (e.g. studies, work, relationships)
- I worked at the Venice Biennale last year as a cultural mediator of the Irish Pavilion. It was my first time working in a second language and initially I struggled hugely but eventually began to build strong relationships with my colleagues. Together, we explored the idiosyncrasies of Italian/English and patiently corrected eachother's grammar under the humid Venetian sun. Finding common ground in our love of art AND through a second language was a really lovely, uplifting experience.
If Science and Art was an animal what would it look like and what would it do?
- To begin and end with Leonora Carrington (ah, the circularity of time!) I picture the six-winged Sephira as The SciArt animal. This is a collossal yet kind monster - one who people might need take time to understand and to learn from its deep wisdom.
- The Sephira is highly productive - but not as a means to an end - curiosity and playfulness are its principal driving forces. The monster is unyielding; you can't always anticipate what it's doing or why, but if you abandon yourself to it - this creature shall take you on a journey and discover things you never believed tenable!
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