TIMEFULNESS

One of the aspects I find fascinating about creating art in clay is its intricate connection to the concept of time. This theme is a recurring motif in my work and deeply influences my creative practice.

But what exactly is time? This question gets to the heart of a fundamental concept underlying our existence. Time is so ingrained in our lives that we seldom pause to reflect on its true nature. Yet understanding time is essential for grasping our human experience and the ways we think and feel. Our entire worldview and sense of existence depend heavily on the concept of time.

As the time researcher Julius T. Fraser aptly stated in his book Time: The Familiar Stranger, time is a remarkable phenomenon; it is both familiar and elusive. While we all have a basic understanding of what time is, articulating it can often prove challenging. Questions I grapple with include: What exactly is time? How do we define it, and how does it shape our understanding of the world around us?

Most clay minerals form when rocks interact with water, air, or steam. This can occur in various contexts, such as when boulders weather on a hillside, sediments accumulate at the bottoms of seas or lakes, deeply buried sediments release pore water, or rocks engage with water heated by magma (molten rock). The process of clay formation thus unfolds over an extraordinarily long period — spanning thousands or even millions of years. By exploring the remarkable conditions that lead to the creation of clay, we come to appreciate not only the immense power of natural processes but also the slow unfolding of time that facilitates these transformations.

My work aims to foster a deeper awareness of the intricate interplay between time, ecology, and our existence, encouraging viewers to reflect on their relationship with the passage of time. I am particularly interested in slow natural processes, such as erosion, entropy, eruption, and congealing, that define and shape our environment. These phenomena occur on timelines different from our own, often beyond our immediate perception.

My ceramic wall pieces provide an opportunity to engage with non-human timeframes. The concept of deep time challenges our everyday understanding of time by revealing the extraordinary ways in which the Earth and the universe have evolved over billions of years. It invites us to consider expansive geological and cosmic timelines, which stand in stark contrast to our fleeting human experiences.

In creating these pieces, I use line as a visual element. The concepts of ‘line' and ‘time' are intricately intertwined, reflecting a relationship that shapes our understanding of both. When we explore the subject of time, we frequently encounter the line as a metaphor. In the natural world, various lines illustrate the concept of time in action. For example, meandering rivers carve through landscapes, creating winding paths that evolve. Similarly, cracks in rocks signify geological processes, breaking the stone into smaller pieces. The flow of molten magma descending from a volcano represents time as it illustrates the dynamic and transformative nature of the Earth.

These examples show that many of the lines we see around us are physical manifestations of time’s slow passage, emphasising the contrast between fleeting moments and the gradual changes that occur over extended periods.

Our lives are essentially governed by time. We navigate our lives, shape our expectations, and envision our future — all integral pieces of a narrative that extends back billions of years. Embracing the role of time in our lives empowers us to appreciate its significance in shaping who we are.