For our second Time project, we were asked to play witness to a certain event that occurs in our everyday lives. We were to display this occurrence as a photo series. I had a difficult time brainstorming for this project, not having a clue on what to do or how to present it, so I looked up different photo series in the form of a flip-book. Amidst this research, I came across a flipbook that came in the form on a cinematoscope. After taking Space and Materiality class last semester, I learned that I enjoy creating things by hand, so as a challenge, I chose to make my photo series in the form of a cinematoscope.
Upon noticing the spinning movement done by a cinematoscope, I started to notice things in my everyday life that revolved. With this, I then realized that I witness the revolution of the turnstiles as I pass through them each day to get out of my dorm building, enter the University Center, or at times, catch the subway, which is what I chose to witness for this project.
Card at the ready, swipe, and go. Such a short set of steps seems monotonous, but when you think about it, these steps can take you places. The moment you swipe your Metrocard and go through the turnstiles, the possibilities of where you end up are endless. Entering through a turnstile is one of the many mundane things we encounter on a daily basis, whether we realize it or not. Such a practice finds itself crucial to people’s daily routines. This is especially evident in a city like New York, where many depend on the subway as their main form of transportation. As fast-paced as the city is, this tedious activity of swiping a card and going through a turnstile is most overlooked, as the traveler focuses on their agenda for the day, making sure to catch his or her train on time.
I wanted my project to capture this experience, as if the device itself is a witness of its own. The handle used to crank the cinematoscope imitates the rotation of an actual turnstile. As one turns the handle, each slide flips to display me going through the turnstile. Such an activity, passing through a turnstile, happens in varied speeds. Some people are in a hurry, swiping their card as fast as they can. Others only start taking their Metrocard out the moment they situate themselves at the turnstile. This occurrence mimics the variety of speeds at which one decides to crank the cinematoscope. This device should be handled individually, as one might prefer to crank it fast, while another slow. Regardless of what speed the activity is done, both going through the turnstile and turning the cinematoscope, whoever deems witness ultimately goes through the whole motion. And just like that, one continues on with their day.
