4D | Project 4 : Poetics of Time [Final]

Photo Credits: Jacob Chio

P O E T I C S  O F  T I M E 

Poetics of Time | For this final project, we were given the freedom to create an encounter that expresses either one of the categories of time. For me, I chose measured time, also known as actual or clock time. Besides, I also chose to do  installation art for a change.


C O N C E P T

It took me a really long while to decide on what I wanted to portray for this particular project but I eventually settled for what I would normally call a deep and poetic installation art. Indeed, I took the theme of the project – Poetics of Time, to a literal manner where I wanted to portray the meaning of time to me in a poetic manner.

To begin with, the audience will be greeted by multiple blood bags filled with red liquid that’s being suspended in the air. An aesthetic donation drive, as quoted by Si Hui. 

What’s special to the blood bags are the stalks of white roses attached to the tube and the cable wire that’s tied to the stopper. Then, I will have the audience come up and snip off the cable wire, allowing the red liquid to flow through the tube, into the stem and the core of the white rose.

You may be wondering, what does snipping off the cable wire actually have to do with time? Now, imagine yourself as the red liquid in the blood bag.

Being trapped in the blood bag, you only have two choices.

1. To find a way out, or

2. To continue being trapped in the blood bag, and 

the only thing that’s stopping you from flowing out is the cable wire that’s being tied to the stopper of the blood bag. 

So by snipping the cable wire off the stopper, you are essentially taking on the courage to break through the walls of blood bag and achieve the desired outcome of flowing through the tube, into the stem and the core of the rose, allowing the transition of a white to red rose.

Assuming the cable wire has been snipped off and you’re (still the red liquid) flowing through the tube and into the stem and core of the white rose. In normal circumstances, the audience will be expecting the white petals of the rose to slowly turn into the different shades of red.

But if you think about it, do you really think it’s possible for this change to be seen at an instance? 

Think about it, for the red liquid to flow through the tube into the stem and the core of the white rose, it takes time.  

So what exactly is time?

From what I’ve found online, time is

Photo Credits: Google

However, time to me, is a waiting game. Many times, we lack the courage only because we fear the wait.

The wait for a change to occur

and waiting itself is a scary process. That’s because you are walking by the faith and belief that everything will work out the way you desire when the outcome is unknown.

In the 21st century, the society is driven by immediate (or instant) gratification, that is the desire to experience pleasure or fulfilment without delay or deferment. Essentially, a greater importance is placed on the current outcome over the future outcome.

Why so?

Because we fear the uncertainty.

And because we fear, we miss out on (even) greater things that could have happen.

To prove my point, I actually did a separate but an exact installation where I left the red liquid flowing through the stem and into the core the white rose of 12 hours.

Photo Credits: Jacob Chio

As seen, the petals of the white rose actually showed hints of pink.

Photo Credits: Jacob Chio

If that’s the case, do we just give up waiting for the flower to be fully dyed to the desired outcome upon snipping off the cable wire or do we wait patiently and enjoy the desired outcome come to life with the faith that we’ve been holding tightly onto.

Photo Credits: Jacob Chio

With every decision you make in life, regardless of the uncertainty in the result, you must always have a certain amount of courage to undertake those decisions. Sometimes, all you need is that tad bit of courage and faith to walk through the times of uncertainty.

Remember,  you can in fact, enjoy the sight of the white rose turn into a red rose – eventually, if you’re willing to wait. The anticipation (and not wait) only makes it twice as beautiful as it is. 


P R O C E S S

The process of setting up the installation was pretty quick and hassle free as most of the materials were bought off the shelves. So all I had to do, was to fix the materials up and pray that everything goes well.

The location I chose was ideal in a sense, the ceiling was high enough to allow the suspension of the blood bag to happen and the clear glass window at the back allows for the sun to shine in, creating a dreamy yet scenic view.


C O N C L U S I O N

I really enjoyed this project because I have always wanted to try out installation art despite the burn in my pocket.

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