CLOSER BY THE MINUTE, No Sense of Time
BAS KONSTHALL, Stockholm Sweden, 31 August – 23 November 2024
Closer by the Minute, No Sense of Time brings together three video installations and a photography exhibit that explore the passage of time, the impact of our choices, and our relationship with the world. The exhibition delves into human existence, memory, the environment, and material consumption, reflecting on how we perceive our lives in a changing world.
The title speaks to the paradoxical nature of time: sometimes seconds feel like hours, and years pass in a blink. Time measures and marks our existence, yet it always feels elusive and insufficient.
Each artwork examines time's impact on our lives. The automobile, once a symbol of freedom, now highlights the long-term consequences of short-term achievements. Reliance on cars has led to cities designed for vehicles, causing health and environmental issues. This piece shows how time has revealed flaws in a once-advantageous system.
The juxtaposition of a natural wonder with urban decay reminds us how human choices, driven by greed, lead to ruin. Yet, nature's enduring beauty offers hope for renewal. The timelessness of nature contrasts with the ephemeral nature of human constructs, emphasizing the balance between progress and preservation.
Memory is explored through a woman's fragmented recollections, showing how personal reflections shape our identities. It illustrates how past experiences influence present choices and future narratives, highlighting the importance of mindful living.
The photography exhibit examines material accumulation, prompting viewers to consider their possessions. By cataloging everyday objects, it questions whether material wealth is essential for happiness and suggests a simpler, experience-focused lifestyle. This critique of consumerism invites reassessment of consumption habits and their sustainability.
Closer by the Minute, No Sense of Time captures modern life's essence, reflecting on achievements and unforeseen consequences. It urges visitors to contemplate the passage of time and the weight of our decisions, emphasizing the importance of thoughtful living to shape a better future.
LIFE ON WHEELS (4-channel video, 32min, 2015)
The car, so familiar and entwined in American life, is not merely an indispensable tool but an inextricable feature of the country's cultural history. Hodge's installation, "Life on Wheels," uses multiple projections and a scale model highway to represent the intrusion of the Interstate into the natural landscape. It encourages visitors to reflect on the roles cars play in their lives and what their dependence on them means. Delving into the pervasive car culture and its century-long influence on urban development, personal well-being, and the environment, this piece prompts viewers to examine their relationship with transportation and consider the choices that have led them down this path. It also asks whether it is possible to live in America without a car. In most cities today, it’s nearly impossible because cities are designed for cars, not people. Will it ever be possible to transform America into a healthy, walkable, bikeable place with robust public transit? For the sake of personal health and the environment, there is hope for change.
NIAGARA FALLING (2 Channel, 19min, 2012)
To stand at the very edge of Niagara Falls is to feel the water’s primal pull. There, where the roaring river drops away at one's feet, one partakes in an ageless miracle. Yet, the nearby city of Niagara Falls has experienced a remarkable decline. Some see total collapse in less than a lifetime, others see a hometown with strong roots and culture, and still others see a landscape revered for its divinity over millennia.
"Niagara Falling" is a multi-dimensional video installation that explores this dichotomy. It blends interviews from several generations with pictorial and historical material to capture the city's essence. The installation reveals the city's recent path without judgment, presenting a shifting collage of the past and present. Viewers can project their feelings and experiences onto the city's story. The contrast between urban decay and the natural wonder serves as a reminder that human choices carry both the potential for ruin and the power to preserve beauty.
RETICULUM (1 channel, 21min, 2011)
This film explores memory through fragmentary insights into a woman’s life, from the initial cognition of babyhood to the flickering congruity of our waning days. Listeners connect to her experiences, sharing her inner dialog—a conversation with self that lends perspective, humor, distance, and context to what has been experienced and how it is remembered. Sometimes blurred and troublesome, often evocative and transcendent, always subjective and personal, "Reticulum" reveals how personal reflections can become the bearers of individual and family ethos through the power of recall. This intimate exploration of aging and memory emphasizes that the choices made by individuals reverberate through time, shaping not only their lives but also their perceptions of the world.
WHO'S COUNTING (16 color prints, 2011)
In today’s consumer-driven world, Americans have reached a saturation point with their possessions. Garages often store excess items. Americans own more objects than fit in their homes. The cycle goes: buy an item, use it briefly, store it, move it to the garage, then rent a storage unit. On average, items stay in storage for 15 months before ending up in a landfill. This lifestyle requires larger homes and SUVs, with the average home now over 2,800 square feet.
Currently, there are 1.875 billion square feet of personal storage space in America, averaging 4 square feet per person. This reflects a nation of "accumulators," consuming 40% of the world’s resources while comprising only 7% of its population.
"Who’s Counting" examines the artists' possessions, photographing everything from teaspoons to pillows. Room by room, they count their objects, asking: how many things do you own? The number may surprise you.