Brainstorming:
The Time Capsule project was a little bit overwhelming for me, I was unable to pinpoint what the project asked for so I decided to further simplify it.
Time is the continued progress of existence that captures past, present and future as a whole. It can either be measured, mapped or recorded and can either be linear, cyclical or circular. While a time capsule refers to artifacts typical of the present that are left for discovery in the future. The manipulation of the past and present by collapsing multiple moments can educate the future while mapping the perception of time.
In art, time and the concept of time can be represented in multiple ways. As a formal quality, movement and repetition are methods of portraying time. Symbols of time (ex; clocks) are also ways of illustrating time in art. More importantly, the time-based media such as performance art and video are the most accurate forms of time portrayal.
I believe that time is a fundamental of existence, through time I was able to educate myself. When I think of time, I think of the hardships that came with time. This gave me an idea for my time capsule, to use it as a warning/letter to my future self. Initially, I thought of three aspects of my life that have been influenced by time. Time has exposed me to physical changes, mental changes and cultural changes.
Possible ideas:
- Physical changes; as a warning to my future self of what my unhealthy relationship with my body will lead to, I will create a gallery featuring renditions of my self-portraits throughout the years and delete my face and body out of the images. In this manner, I am able to illustrate how the passing of time has lead to the destruction and loss of my body.
- Mental changes; as a warning to my future self of what my mental state will lead to, I will create a self-portrait that combines images from both the past and the present that will be manipulated to appear as though they’re melting. This will allow me to illustrate how the progression of the current mental state will lead to the destruction of my grasp on identity.
- Cultural changes; as a warning to all Arabs of how neglect will lead to the loss of Palestine, I will manipulate images of Palestine in which I will replace any circular shape with clocks set at 19:48. This will highlight how the lack of action and attention towards Palestine will lead to a recurring of a destructive historical event (Nakbeh, 1948).
Image Collection:
I slept on my ideas and decided to go with the third idea as I felt it would translate the strongest visually. Therefore, I began my image collection. It is quite difficult to extract images of Palestine pre-1948, hence, I was saving any photograph I came across that had a circular shape within its composition. I was able to extract these photos by using different keywords and searching in Arabic.
In addition, I needed the images for the clock striking 19:48. Initially, I wanted to take these images but I did not find a clock with the aesthetics that I desired. Eventually, I found a timelapse of a vintage clock that I screen-recorded and then slowed down using IMovie. I extracted from that video an image sequence that I will be using in my piece. The time frame for the clock that I wanted to show is 19:47 to 19:48 in order to further emphasize my intention.
Preliminary Iterations:
Initially, when I began the project I was just looking into manipulating any photographs with circular shapes within their composition but I realized that it would be stronger if my piece featured a narrative that further explores the concept of time. I decided that I will be telling a narrative of the innovation that was present in Palestine by choosing specific photographs that highlight the role of culture, music, women and the first car dealership in the Middle East held in Palestine. This way I am able to illustrate how the passing of time has allowed Palestine to prosper as a nation, yet it is warning the future that the passing of time has also allowed for the wiping out of such progress and history.
In addition, I wanted to unify the images I am working with in order for the gallery to appear more coherent and further illustrate the narrative. I was able to do that by adjusting the brightness, contrast, and shadows on the images.
Final Composite:
Final Statement:
19:48 is a motion picture featuring renditions of photographs of Palestine, it explores how the converging of the past and present allows for communication with the future. In this piece I create a narrative that explores the progressions of the Palestinian culture and highlights how time has allowed for prospering in the roles of art, women and innovation in Palestine. Yet, it also explores the themes of loss of culture and politics for it acts as a warning to the Arab world; time has wiped out such progressions. The clock hits 19:48 -reffering to the 1948 Palestine War- acting as a reminder to future Arab generations; history is at stake of being lost and erased once again.
