My "place" video examines the juxtaposition between two places, the natural and the man-made.
As I make my way through a forrest trail, I reminisce about my experience traveling on foot in the city. The sights and sounds are different in each experience, but my perception of scale and movement are similar. The forrest trail is partially man-made and the city is almost entirely man-made. What's the difference? As I look up to the trees or look up to the high rise buildings, I feel small, insignificant and helpless.
The experiences blend together in a rhythmic comparison of the two very different places. I imagine that the two places are one, differing only in my perspective and understanding of the sights experienced along the way. I think about how they were both built, one by nature, the other by man. The time scale of the construction of both places is beyond my experience. I can see changes in each environment over time, but they both exist in perpetuity compared with my relatively short life span. Everything moves and changes around me, while I only exist within each as a small element of the environment in which I am only a tiny insignificant part.
In both cases I am a mere observer, unable to influence, change, or affect the environment in any significant way. Even so, the city represents the ways that people can completely alter the world around us, given enough time, commitment, cooperation, and determination. The forrest represents the ways that nature does the same, though on a much grander scale.
While people can shape the environment around us to fulfill our needs and desires, nature can ultimately take back, or reclaim the places we have borrowed. I am a part of this process in both cases- As a human I can build and influence the environment in small, cumulative ways, yet I am also a part of nature. In that sense, everything we see is the same place- a slice of the existence we all experience here on Earth.
Showing posts with label theory. Show all posts
Showing posts with label theory. Show all posts
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
What is time made of?
I've been thinking about how time seems to move faster as we get older. There seems to be a connection between our sense of mortality and the passage of time.
Einstein showed us how time would vary relative to mass and velocity. What if it goes deeper than that, fluctuating on a molecular level? Our current understanding of time would seem to be naive, awaiting all kinds of new discoveries.
We are starting to understand that time as we know it (simplified to the microcosm of our existence), is an interpretation of the reality of time, which is actually part of the fabric of the Universe. In a way, time is a substance, immeasurable by our current understanding, yet woven into our existence with connections we have yet to discover.
Could it be that time is a flexible membrane which varies depending upon our perspective? What if the neurons in our brains have some influence on the nature of time?
Einstein showed us how time would vary relative to mass and velocity. What if it goes deeper than that, fluctuating on a molecular level? Our current understanding of time would seem to be naive, awaiting all kinds of new discoveries.
We are starting to understand that time as we know it (simplified to the microcosm of our existence), is an interpretation of the reality of time, which is actually part of the fabric of the Universe. In a way, time is a substance, immeasurable by our current understanding, yet woven into our existence with connections we have yet to discover.
Could it be that time is a flexible membrane which varies depending upon our perspective? What if the neurons in our brains have some influence on the nature of time?
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Will There Be Condominiums in Data Space?
Some thoughts and ideas inspired by Bill Viola's essay...
Idea: The Ultimate Mnemonist:
What if one could flip a switch to turn on mnemonic recall for a set period of time, accessing parts of the brain with the precision of a computer. The Ultimate Mnemonist would have access to memory, seeing it as a "data space", where all points in time are available at once. What would be the consequences of such a power?
This individual need not go mad, given that they have the ability to determine when and how much they wanted to recall. Could there be a spiritual element to the power, beyond the natural ability of the senses, including various perspectives of everything around the observer? Could time be observed by this individual as something more than a linear series of events? For the Ultimate Mnemonist, time could be more like what it really is: A property of a single state of being. For the Ultimate Mnemonist, time is not linear, nor is it made up of a set of separate events. Everything, every time, simply IS.
Relative Time
Albert Einstein theorized that time is relative to the viewer. Our perception of time would differ depending upon our location and movement through space. It has also been observed that our perception of time would vary depending upon our experience. According to theoretical physicist and bestselling author Dr. Michio Kaku, without the use of a clock, people who are relatively (relative to human life expectancy) young, usually experience a set period of time differently from those who are relatively old.
When compared to a fixed rate of time, such as a one minute period as measured by a clock, the older person seems to perceive the minute passing relatively fast, while the younger person perceives the minute passing relatively slow. As a result, without the aid of a clock, a person would calculate the passage of time differently depending upon his or her relative perception of time in relation to their perceived mortality. In other words, time seems to move faster as we get closer to the end of our life. The idea of time as a fixed reality, as measured by our clocks, was invented by us. Could it be that time actually does pass at a different rate depending upon how old we are?
Idea: The Ultimate Mnemonist:
What if one could flip a switch to turn on mnemonic recall for a set period of time, accessing parts of the brain with the precision of a computer. The Ultimate Mnemonist would have access to memory, seeing it as a "data space", where all points in time are available at once. What would be the consequences of such a power?
This individual need not go mad, given that they have the ability to determine when and how much they wanted to recall. Could there be a spiritual element to the power, beyond the natural ability of the senses, including various perspectives of everything around the observer? Could time be observed by this individual as something more than a linear series of events? For the Ultimate Mnemonist, time could be more like what it really is: A property of a single state of being. For the Ultimate Mnemonist, time is not linear, nor is it made up of a set of separate events. Everything, every time, simply IS.
Relative Time
Albert Einstein theorized that time is relative to the viewer. Our perception of time would differ depending upon our location and movement through space. It has also been observed that our perception of time would vary depending upon our experience. According to theoretical physicist and bestselling author Dr. Michio Kaku, without the use of a clock, people who are relatively (relative to human life expectancy) young, usually experience a set period of time differently from those who are relatively old.
When compared to a fixed rate of time, such as a one minute period as measured by a clock, the older person seems to perceive the minute passing relatively fast, while the younger person perceives the minute passing relatively slow. As a result, without the aid of a clock, a person would calculate the passage of time differently depending upon his or her relative perception of time in relation to their perceived mortality. In other words, time seems to move faster as we get closer to the end of our life. The idea of time as a fixed reality, as measured by our clocks, was invented by us. Could it be that time actually does pass at a different rate depending upon how old we are?
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