Elliana Lee

Graphic Designer

On Time

2023
Research
Exhibition
Installation

Time is both an individual and universal experience. It is seemingly present but tangibly absent. While in Berlin, my perception of time shifted: days felt longer and time seemed to slow down.

This piece is the culmination of my research and visual experiments throughout my stay in Berlin. It is presented on a vertical scroll that moves continuously to reflect the nature of time: we can not seem to ever stop it or have it stand still for us.

The entire installation stood just under eight feet.

Some snapshots of the information on the scroll:

words and phrases used to describe tempo in music, reflecting the passage of time but in a more significant way

a list of my monthly music playlist, which is a way of time-keeping

visual studies of intervals of time, including my heartbeat, blinks, and inhale and exhales.

an interview with a friend about the differences in how we see time.

a visual showing how I see my months and years

a pretzel timeline, because I ate so many pretzels in Berlin, I started recalling time in relation to when I last had a pretzel.

To make this project work, I had to 3d model and print parts that would hold the motors in place, as well as program the motos. Along with various visual studies, I learned about the processes to take in production.

Behind the scenes, in making this project come to life:

Woodworking and building the frame.
Circuit building the motors to control the scroll.
Using processing to program the motors to spin.
Attaching the gears into the box with 3D printed parts.
Trimming the full 16 foot print-out.
Sanding and drilling the wall mount.

Visual studies for this project were printed out on Offset Litho at Little Steidl with Nina Holland.

Each of the experiments explored different, abstract ways of viewing time, almost as if it were tangible.

Special Thank You To:
Robert Ball,
Simon Johnston,
Nina Holland,
Lavinia Lascaris,
Joshue Molina,
Brandon Gomez Zoon