How to Extend the Perception of Time - [2]
by interviewing different people with a project in mind.
[2] Interview different people with a project in mind
As I mentioned in the Intro, time perception has a significant relationship to the physical space you are occupying.
I realize having interviews with people could affect my time perception of a day, because I get a chance to visit a fresh space and discover something that I don't know about them.
When I interview people, their personal space provides me with a whole different dimension of perception of time. Everything is so fresh to me. I am constantly using my eyes to examine every little object in their house, guess their relationship with them, and interpret their hidden personality from the object they are using.
Small thoughts about objects:Objects are not only objects. They are formed with different materials, which creates different textures. By touching the textures of an object, it creates feeling and attachment in us. The objects that we possess in our personal space could represent ourselves. As the article states, "material possessions claim us just as we claim them". We embrace the objects, but they also embrace us.
How often do they eat an apple? Where did they get this plastic flower? Where did they get the Nikon super 8mm video camera?
The very first interview I did was for my food documentary series "How We Cook Like Our Moms", which is a series based in Canada that interviews people about their favourite dish from their moms. During the COVID-19 quarantine, it is mama's food that we miss the most.
Film Still of How We Cook Like Our Moms, Episode 1.
Filming people cooking their food, and asking them questions that I am deeply interested in really provides me with a whole new perception of time.
Click here to see the 1st episode of "How We Cook Like Our Moms".
How to Extend the Perception of Time - [1]
[1] Taking Self Portraits With An Analogue Camera
To change your time perception, you need to slow down and wait.
The process of waiting is not boring anymore.
2020 DEC - 2021 NOVTORONTOLast winter, my partner and I often took walks around Toronto (at -20°C no less) and found interesting places to take spontaneous photos using my trusty Olympus XA film camera. I didn’t have a concept in mind when taking the photographs, and my partner was simply following my orders.
But after I saw the developed photos, they turned out to be surprisingly beautiful and evoked in me a strong sensation of "punctum" (Please read Roland Barthes's "punctum" if you are into conceptual photography).
During the exploration, we were purely looking for spots/corners that visually speak to us. We have found lots of places that we had never noticed before because we were both fast walkers.
These are the locations that we have explored in Toronto:
Our favourite Chinese grocery store:
Sidewalk near TTC streetcar:
All kinds of places that have reflection:
Turn off your phone and just do random walking, you will always find somewhere unexpectedly beautiful:
Home sweet home:
Click here to check out the PHOTOGRAPHS from this series.
How to Extend the Perception of Time - [INTRO]
Have you ever felt time moving at a sluggish pace when confined to a single space?
Yet, upon reflection, those periods seem void of any truly memorable moments?
Time perception is significantly influenced by the physical space we occupy. Many of us can relate to this, particularly during the quarantine and work-from-home periods. In the office, each day brings a variety of events and experiences, making no two working days exactly alike.
Let me give you an example:
Last week, I found myself staring at a laptop screen almost every day. On Sunday, as I tried to recall events from Wednesday, only one image lingered in my mind – me sitting in my room. Despite a productive workweek, nothing stood out as memorable. Contrastingly, I can vividly recall the events of February 13th, 2021, around 12:30 pm at the Mill Pond Trail in Dorchester. I placed my Olympus XA on top of a tree branch, set the photo timer, and captured a lasting memory.
And this is the final photograph taken from an angle on the tree branch.
Since the onset of COVID-19, the elimination of daily commutes has undoubtedly saved countless hours. Yet, this period has prompted deep reflections on my relationship with time perception and life itself. Time, objectively ticking away second by second, is subjectively experienced based on one's phenomenological encounters. A significant aspect of my life's purpose involves expanding my perception of time. I can't help but observe that the more I work in front of a screen, the harder it becomes to cultivate and recall cherished memories.
While it's true that I've absorbed a wealth of knowledge from the screen, it's also undeniable that I struggle to recollect any precious and special moments from those days spent working in front of it.
Salvador Dalí: The Persistence of Memory, oil on canvas by Salvador Dalí, 1931
Hence, I decided to write a few things that helped me extend my perception of time.
1 - Taking Self-Portraits With An Analogue Camera
In an era dominated by digital efficiency in photography, where instant reviews are the norm, I find myself drawn to the deliberate pace and unique qualities of analogue cameras. Having been a photographer for several years, I've often been frustrated by the perfection and oversaturation prevalent in contemporary photographs.
Personally, I am captivated by the unhurried process involved in working with analogue cameras. Although not inherently complex, it does demand a measure of patience. This entails selecting a "landscape frame" that captures subjects without immediate visibility, setting up the tripod, utilizing the self-timer, enduring the 12-second shutter wait, and subsequently advancing the camera to the next frame.
(Grateful for my partner's enduring patience throughout this process!)
Chinatown, Toronto, Jan 2021
Click here to read the 1st series of the BLOG.
(How to Extend Time Perception -
Taking Self Portraits With An Analogue Camera)
Bay and Univeristy ave, Toronto, Jan 2021
Click here to check out the PHOTOGRAPHS from this series.