Two shakes, a tick and a jiffy（2009）
Medium：Computer-operated mechanical clock, acrylic, paint, and 24 hours of electrocardiography data
Dimensions：diameter: 47 3/8 inches (120.3 cm); depth: 8 1/16 inches (20.5 cm)
Credit Line：Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York Purchased with funds contributed by the International Director's Council, 2009
The online exhibition “Time” is from the collection of the Guggenheim Museum. The works in the “Time” show all focus on the relationship between time and life. Especially during this pandemic, people are all waiting for the “time” to solve problems. Such as finish the quarantine and back to home, recover from the virus. Artist Julieta Aranda’s work Two shakes, a tick and a jiffy (2009) is in this collection. This work is a computer-operated mechanical clock, however, artist divided this clock in to ten hours with 100 minutes of 100 seconds each. During French Revolution, this system was short-lived appeared. The most interesting part is that the second hand’ move is not even. The move of the second hand connect with the artist’ fluctuating heart rate. When artist is exciting the second hand move faster. When artist is relaxing the 100 second will be long. People first see this work, they may cannot realized the changes on the clock. But when they see it carefully, they will find that this is a clock that record a day for the artist or the person who connect with this clock. The concept of the time become different and complicated. Time for one day is no longer a constant number but it depends on the experience of a person. This is a clock for emotion and a grapher for a person’ day.
Your description of the artwork is very successful, especially since you relate Aranda's clock not only to the relativity of time but also to today's climate. I particularly like how you described the general perception of the artwork and that viewers must look closely in order to see that the clock is actually measuring Aranda's heart rate rather than the usual seconds, minutes, hours. Because of the pandemic/quarantine, our conventional sense of time has been altered and perhaps even eradicated, which makes emotion as a measurement of time feel that much more feasible. Perhaps you could further explore time within the current global context, especially since artists such as Aranda are offering an alternative.
ReplyDeleteThe commentary on the passage of time is very successful within this review. Your relation of this work to the current transiency of time is very poignant I think some of the meaning of the work is a bit lost in this review as it is confusing on if the clock is connected to the heartbeat of the artist. Is this the case? It is a bit confusing. I think more detail could go into explaining this aspect of the work because it sounds very important to the work! Overall, the connections between the clock as being used in the past was extremely interesting to read especially in relation to now. I am happy to have been able to learn more about this work through this review.
ReplyDeleteIt is really fascinating in your response as you comment the work --- a clock that is no longer a scientific time measurement but a record of artist’s personal experience. Time becomes subjective to the artist’s emotions at the moment. However, I feel a little confused about the reason of different ways that the first- and second-hand moves. Maybe more explanation about it will be better.
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