I hope that through my artist's statement, I have explained that although the final installation piece itself is simplistic in nature, the meaning and concept behind its creation is one with an in-depth meaning.
Here are some pictures of the final piece with some students engaging with the artwork followed by my artist's statement.
'My Life, My Time'
Artists Statement
The piece is a direct response to the brief of ‘Where are we from?’ ‘What are we?’ ‘Where are we going?’ by concentrating on the separation that exists within time, through identification of our prior self, and the prospect of ourselves in the future, and preserving what we are due to the apprehension of what we could become. Through time we change and our life changes and therefore our state of mind is almost relevant to which time we are at in our lives.
Through this installation, I am representing myself, and how I have developed over time. The installation is a direct projection of myself through numbers, as each number is symbolic of each moment I have lived in my life. 599184000 is how many seconds there are in 19 years, 9986400 is how many minutes, 166440 is how many hours, 6935 is how many days, 990.714 is how many weeks and 228 is how many months there are which all make up my 19 years of life. This illustrates that every number is a documentation of where I came from, the present moment and the prospect of there being another second, and another minute which will make up my life over time.
599184000 9986400 166440 6935 990 714 228=19
The repetition of the tiny numbers creates the deception of every number being insignificant, whereas this is not the case. Each number is miniscule for the viewer to realise that although there are many seconds which make up a life time, not every moment is appreciated, and loses value over time just as anything repeated begins to decline in importance. If the viewer decides to look closer, then this signifies that in life some people choose to follow time, whereas others decide to ignore it. The magnifying glass epitomises the choice that exists within time by either appreciating it, or merely existing in time and highlights each moment that exists within my life. It could also be seen as a surveillance tool used to focus in on every moment in my life, so far.
The ticking clock exemplifies that although I have preserved this moment in my life, each second that passes is another moment obtained into my future. The sound can only be heard, and the question of where it is coming from is irrelevant, as time is a constant continuation that is not tangible, but the effects of it can be seen all around us, and this is why the installation is 2D.
The grid like composition is a direct make up of myself as there are 19 lines in each grid which is representational of my age, and the grids make up my height of 62 inches in this stage of my life. This symbolises that even though I might not look like a part of the piece, there will always be a constant connection with myself within it as the whole piece is a conceptual projection of me over time.
This space was directly chosen as it is a wall which is easily seen, yet many people walk past and never really observe. As I have mentioned, it is down to personal preference to follow time, or ignore it just like this space. It is there, and is a vital foundation to our building yet many other factors help support the structure. Just like this small structure, I have many more years to live, but the first short 19 years of my life have taught me to be the person I am, and will be a part of the foundations to my future.
Fundamentally, this installation is made up of observations, identification and time which again reflects onto where I came from, What I am presently, and the prospect of what might happen over time. If the viewer takes the time to appreciate the finer details of the piece, they will realise that the numbers are only just the beginning...
