Abstract

Over the past century, there has been a big advancement in technological developments which have affected our perception of time. The speeding up of technology and our general pace of life has led more and more people to experience the inability to keep up with this race against the clock. The lockdowns during the COVID pandemic of 2020, which forced us to slow down our pace of life, brought about a sentiment that was felt on a global scale: time can be spent differently.

Over the past few years, I have shifted towards seeking awareness in what it means to prioritise our own bodies and well-being instead of organising our lives solely around productivity and efficiency. Through my own reality and experiences, I want to touch upon the importance of not only what it means to fend for one’s well-being, but also how this can be achieved through a collective body.

My thesis circulates between productivity, time, and relational autonomy. A part is dedicated to an experiment of a ‘silent retreat’ of 24 hours. Within this empirical research, I set up my own ‘rules’ during the experience. This goes in hand with other relevant artistic research, which question the traditional concept of time and the social standards embedded within our Western cultural environment. I will introduce the platform Uchronia, led by Dr Helga Schmid who is researching our contemporary time crisis. At the intersection of designer, sociologist and chronobiologist, Schmid criticizes the current perceptions of being in time. Therefore, it is necessary to act upon the urgency of embracing a slower approach to life. How can certain artistic practices emphasize this urgent shift towards listening to our bodies, in search of a more autonomous sense of time?

Introduction

In my own practice, I aspire to spend more time on my methods and my manners of functioning regarding my work. Over the years, I found the necessity to prioritize self-care in which I re-center my body and mind in relation to external occurrences.

The expression of how busy a person is with their lack of time is becoming a frequent way of indicating how well an individual is functioning in society. It reflects directly upon our modernized world, where the dominant structure of office workers outbalances one’s individual autonomy. Tracking tools and products became the norm and measurements are compressed into a limited framework. Agendas, watches, time registration forms, time management tools and mobile devices are the servants of the modern age, in order not to let time slip unnoticed. In line with the development of these tools, productivity has become the dominant measurement to the construct of time. We attempt to squeeze productivity within a limited time frame, measured by the ticking hours of the clock, or the beeping watch on our wrist. The relationship between clock time and productivity is deeply interweaved into many facets of our daily life. As we use the same tools to manage both, separating work and one’s private life seems almost impossible to imagine.

To question the sense of being detached from the pressure of clock time, I set myself up for an experimental ‘silent retreat’ of 24 hours, without any external guidance. There were not many restrictions planned beforehand, although I did decide consciously on abandoning the use of electronics which also included my watch. In my belief, this would benefit my ability to be led intuitively by my circadian rhythm.

The conditions of my silent retreat

Location: an apartment of 40m2 in Leiden
Sounds: coming from the fridge, heating, boiler, voices of neighbours
Activities: reading, sitting, writing, yoga, meditating, sleeping, eating
Food: pre-made meal
Chores: washing dishes, watering plants, folding laundry
Movement: yoga practice of ≈ 1hour, outside walk of ≈ 1 hour

01. Time Desynchronized

Modernization of Time in Western Culture

The introduction of mechanical clocks on public buildings such as the church indicated the beginning of the definition of “the rhythm of everyday life”. [Fig.1] One of the very first clocks as we know them, the turret clock,was invented and used from the late 13th century and quickly spread over central Europe. [Fig.2] Subsequently, this clock began to change our perception of time. Whereas before we were led by the positioning of the sun, facilitated by the analog use of sundials, we now had a mathematically numbered and mechanical tool that was not reliant on the weather. [Fig.3] Night or day, the clock would tell us what time it is. As the clock hands moved across seconds, minutes, striking another hour, time became a mechanical force, a set of gears put in motion. Another development, which led to the eventual process of desynchronization, was the increase of artificial light which began from the fifteenth century. Candles, fire, and oil lamps were exchanged for electric lighting which disconnected people from the earth’s day/night cycle. Hand in hand with the turret clock, our perception of time was no longer reliant on nature.¹ The natural rhythm and social construct of time became more separated, leading to physical effects on our bodies.

In order to structure days and to regulate punctuality across different time zones, the standardization of world time was introduced in 1884. A strict punctuality in society ensured that trains could move forth smoothly one after another, accelerating the transport of both goods and people, of wealth and of knowledge. As all these tools became essential to keep up the newly accelerated pace of life, productivity and time began to deeply entangle themselves into our society. Today, when a logistics network becomes disrupted for as little as an hour, it is entirely possible to feel its repercussions in every facet of our life, for weeks to come.

The necessity of timekeeping progressed the concept of time as a commodity. The age-old adage "Time is Money”, which originates from the book Advice to A Young Tradesman (1748) by Benjamin Franklin, is still applicable today.² Franklin justifies how both success and failure are dependent on the management of time. If time is not managed correctly, then the opportunity to become prosperous is lost forever because time itself cannot be rewound. And so on, there are many expressions in which time could be “saved, spent, wasted, or lost”, all of them indicating to the concept of “time equals money” to “time equals loss”. This is introduced to us from the very first days of our education, all the way into our work environment.

Time being perceived as something external, could be linked to seasons, or cycles of the sun. It is something that stands on its own, aside from other occurrences that are happening at the same moment. Our internal time is defined by memories, demands and the things we do; the interaction between you and your personal surroundings, the knowledge, and experiences that you have acquired throughout the years are the definition of subjective time. Jumping from the far past to recent memories, to remembering what we did, thought or felt yesterday, is the non-measurable way of defining time. It can hold on to all directions, variations of speed and shapes; also termed Chronesthesia – a hypothetical mind ability that allows humans to be constantly aware of the past and the future. The Estonian Canadian psychologist Endel Tulving introduced this theory, which appeared together with the term 'episodic memory’. Tulving states that the ability for ‘mental time travel’ is to create awareness for the present, past and future.³ Therefore, to adjust our attitude to the occurrences that have not happened yet. Time does not decide on the duration of each task or activity or when to move forward to the next moment. Instead, it is decided by the impression whether you have done enough. You move forward to the next task if it appears natural to continue. It serves as a reminder that we not only live through time, but time also lives through us.

The Acceleration of Modernity

In the interview with German Sociologist Hartmut Rosa for the book “The Future of The New”, Rosa criticizes if acceleration is the fundamental characteristic of modernity.⁴ He breaks it into three aspects: technical acceleration, social change and the accelerated pace of life. During the 1800s – also termed “early modernity” – social change was “intergenerational”, meaning social structures would differ over several generations. It was something that could not possibly be imagined during the lifespan of a single generation. Before the onset of modernity, if a son was born in the family, he would inherit the profession of the father. If a daughter was born in the family, she would inherit the mother’s livelihood. That means at the time, it was impossible for her to imagine she could have a career. The son, following the lead of his father, would then again pass on his career to the next generation. In classical modernity – between 1800 to 1970 – the social change was generational in terms of deciding for each their own profession, which would then be maintained for the rest of their life. Nowadays, in late modernity, we are experiencing the “intragenerational”; instead of pursuing a single career, it occurs frequently that people are switching jobs and even re-educating themselves into different professions all over the course of a single lifespan and regardless of age or gender. For a profession to last a lifespan has become an exception rather than the norm and “flexible jobs” – thus flexible contracts and undefined time – are dominating the market.

According to Rosa, we have ended up in a paradoxical state in where everything is constantly moving and yet nothing really ever changes. The pace of the technological, economic, and social change is nowadays so fast, that we are unable to control and manage it. This stands in conflict with the aspects of the slower processes which move according to autonomous values, such as deciding on how and when work should be done. This makes it increasingly difficult to manage or plan our individual lives in a meaningful way – meaningful as referring to the modest pace of change during classical modernity, which allowed us to anticipate a meaningful life through working hard and investing in education.

Today, we are entangled into waves of change that put us into directionless and uncertain situations. We reach out into all the chances that cross our path for the sake of experiencing something new while it does not lead us towards a “single” goal. The concept of alienation gained importance on how we endure the dissatisfaction with the problems of late- modern, post-capitalist society. The understanding of alienation becomes apparent in conditions and situations of where we feel we are not living according to our ideals, even though we are “free” to choose how to live for ourselves and not forced into decisions by external forces. We feel compelled to keep up with a pace of modern life that the majority finds “intoxicating” and ill for (mental) health, even though we choose to live this way collectively.

“The powers of acceleration no longer are experienced as liberating force, but as an actually enslaving pressure instead.” Hartmut Rosa

Resonance is being conceived as the opposite of alienation. One becomes alienated from the world and from oneself.⁵ Yesterday's knowledge is outdated today, the day is barely experienced in short-short time and work- and personal relationships become increasingly volatile. Consequently, this can be seen as the flip side of the increased efficiency. It culminates in more and more of the same mind-numbing and monotonous cycles that dominate our day-to-day, extinguishing the chance of any meaningful and undetermined interaction. The proposed solution of Rosa is to always seek for something one can resonate with; a connection through a conversation in relation to an occurrence, which could be a person but also a specific object. This acts as a methodology that itself breaks free from repetition; the repetition that comes with the “short-short” pattern and which is native to the process of acceleration.

At the time of writing this, it became already quite dark outside. The lamppost which is shining through the back garden inside through the window has been on for a few hours. Usually, streetlamps turn on during ‘our’ wintertime – around 17:00? Unknowingly, I followed the same idea by switching on the lights at home as well. One would brighten up the kitchen where the other lamp sets the couch in the centre of attention. The third lamp was hanging right above the dining – and worktable in which the brightness could carefully be adjusted by a rotary dimmer switch. What meant for me was to dim the dining lamp for creating a nice cosy atmosphere. I didn’t notice what time it was after I got out of the shower and walked into the kitchen. Apparently, there was a clock time mentioned on the display of the oven. It says 20:07. I should have known and checked this beforehand. For the rest of the evening, I unconsciously checked the oven display for another few times out of a habit.

In the late evening, I decided to take a walk around the neighborhood. This was a ‘delayed’ decision since I couldn’t figure out how to lock the door. It wasn’t locked at all during the whole day, so I texted my friend about this, but I didn't receive a response before I turned off my phone. At the same time, I wasn’t fully comfortable with going out without my phone and with the idea that I couldn’t lock the house. Therefore, I couldn’t refuse the idea to turn on my phone to see if she replied to me. At the same time, to have my phone with me – just in case – gave me a bit courage to go out.

02. Examining The Sense of Time

Spatial Imprisonment

During the 90’s, the Taiwanese Artist Tehching Hsieh dedicated himself to the discipline of punching a time clock every hour for 12 months, 24 hours a day in his project “One Year Performance 1980-1981”. The evidence of 365 punch cards and 365 filmstrips shows a compressed 16mm movie of 6 minutes, representing each day a second.⁶ You witness Hsieh in his plain grey uniform with a worn-out appearance [Fig.4] It was a testimony to indicate the statements of being challenged physically and mentally to his strict routine and punching the time clock. In total, he slept through his alarm for 94 times, 29 times of being late and 10 times too early. The 8627 daily mugshots that he took was a straightforward way to visualize the paradox of passing time in which things are changing, but also remained the same. It was his intention to examine the nature of time and systematically observe time’s passing.⁷

Continuing with a response from Amelia Groom to Hsieh’s performance, she highlights the context of dissolving and yielding to each temporal moment. Amelia Groom is the editor of the anthology TIME “Documents of Contemporary Art”, which proposes alternatives to the models of linear time that have underpinned both capitalism and progressive modernity.⁸ The marks in which Hsieh failed 133 times out of the 8760 to punch the clock is the fundamental part that emphasizes the contradiction between clock time and corporeal time. [Fig.5] The exposure of the circadian rhythm is also signified in his 6 min movie, where you see his shaved hair to grown hair and indications of exhaustion throughout the year. [Fig.6] It addresses to the direct correspondence to the cultural measure of time. The durational aesthetic reveals the relationship between the culturally constructed “clock” time and the “duration” of a lived experience.⁹ Specifically, Hsieh implies towards the endlessly productive work time of capitalism, with the controlling structure of clock time. Through the documentation of his performance, they provide the imagination of materializing the passage time by Hsieh’s lived experience. Within the commitment of Hsieh’s act of punching a clock, he refers to the omnipresence of working time in the twenty-first century that exceeds into non-working time due to a demand on flexible working hours and the convenience of mobile communications. It examines the deeply rooted human condition of spatial imprisonment and regulatory constraints.

Temporal Utopia

Moving forward to the design research practice which devotes itself to the contemporary time crisis in offering alternative ways of experiencing time. The platform Unchronia is founded by the sociologist, designer, and lecturer Dr. Helga Schmid. She opens a critical understanding of how imposed external time structure of a societal environment can result into a disassociation with the natural rhythm of the biological clock. The term Uchronia originates from Utopia, the Greek word ou-topos and ou-chronos with the meaning “non-time” or “no time”.¹⁰ Within the politics of time, Schmid mainly focuses on different approaches on time and timing in our contemporary work patterns and time norms. In the experiment “The Atemporal Event (2021)”together with Kevin Walker, she demands for more freedom in the structured time and a breakthrough in societal norms that should encourage the ‘bodily time’.¹¹ A set of principles is defined in the Uchronia Manifesto [Img. 7].

Before referring to the previously mentioned experiment, Schmid had already worked on several projects such as Designing Time, Circadian Space, Circadian Dreams that together create a different understanding on how time can be experienced. Together, it forms part of her PhD research about temporal utopia. Eventually, Schmid compiled all her research in the book Uchronia: Designing Time (2020). One of the projects she introduces is “Circadian Space”, in which she investigates an alternative clock time that based on the circadian rhythm. [Img. 8] One of the main “external time givers”, such as an alarm, would conflict with our body clock on a daily basis, therefore disrupting our efforts to understand the actual amount of sleep that our body requires.¹² In Circadian Space, the intention is to re-center our attention to our own body instead of being dictated by social structures. In a joint effort with chronobiologists and sociologist, the space of the project is constructed as a temporary architectural space that represents the body clock. The external clock as we know in hours, minutes, and seconds play a minor role in this installation. The functional pre- determinations of spaces are re-adapted to foster the experience of “unlearning” time. In contrast to traditional understanding of spaces in relation to time, Schmid brings up a critical influence on the physiology of the human body. However, the setup of this temporal structure, doesn’t resemble the ideal place. Instead, it serves as a reminder that should shift our attention to attempt to be guided by our individual “bodily time”. In example, when an adult requires eight hours of sleep, where in fact, one individual may require as little as six and the other as much as ten. Therefore, our schedules should be dictated by the collective understanding of the circadian rhythm.

This wasn’t an unfamiliar neighborhood, yet it was, since I haven’t walked through it before when it was almost midnight. There was an immediate tendency to open my navigation to see how and where I should go, but obviously I didn’t let this happen. Besides the few unfamiliar neighbors that I encountered, I felt the unease and tension of being restless coming back. The unease I experienced before when I practiced the Vipassana meditation retreat for 10 days in September 2021. I allowed myself to overflow with all the negative and excessive thoughts. Gradually, they will make their way if I didn’t pay enough attention to them. Instead, the bitter cold wind provoked as a great distraction and led me through the rest of the walk.

Getting back home, I felt the invitation to meditate before heading to bed. The amount of discomfort has been built up until the moment I sat down. Thoughts on running away became more and more overpowering. I had to remind myself to maintain a neutral attitude in order not to be overpowered by feelings of discomfort. Detaching from the outside world that will give space for the senses to turn inwards. Having no expectations on what will result from this practice. I focused mainly on breathing before starting on sequences of body scans. One of my main takeaways from the Vipassana meditation was that I could observe objectively, distancing myself from the redundant thoughts that I always attach myself to. By paying attention to the smallest significant sensations and observing instead of reacting to them, I was more capable of centering my mind and my senses. It allowed me to be in the present moment instead of obsessing about past events or things that still need to happen. I was able to recognize the subtlety of several sensations on and through by body. From the tickling sensation on the sole of my right foot, to the touch of the shirt which is comfortably fitted to my skin.

03. Disciplines of Time Consciousness

Emerging From a Slower Pace

In many aspects of life, there is a significant amount of attention needed to de-attach ourselves from the ongoing accelerated pace that has become our default mode of living. Slow Research lab is a research platform that explores the potentials in the processes of slowing down within the scope of design thinking, learning and practice.¹³ In their perception, the term “slow” encompasses a mindset that engages to a deeper level of reflection, dialogue, and commitment. Slow Research Lab works together with several creative practitioners with different disciplines, whose collaborations are compiled into a book with essays that embrace new perceptions to encounter the future. The book Slow Reader: A Resource for Design Thinking and Practice is edited by the founder Carolyn F. Strauss and Ana Paula Pais.¹⁴ The community consists of artists, architects, ecologists and designers and many others who challenge the boundaries of time within their own disciplines. Asides from the book, the lab shares its knowledge through workshops, podcasts, lectures, exhibitions, and artist residencies. By contributing on an individual and collective level, Slow Research Lab devote themselves towards a holistic and sustainable way of living.

Reflection on the Silent Retreat of 24 hours
03.01.23 14:00h – 04.01.23 14.00h

During the past 24 hours, the amount of intuitive productivity was very present. Even though there was a minimum number of planned activities, I tried to keep the expectations realistic. There wasn’t a moment of feeling bored. One of the unexpected highlights is that not knowing what time it was allowed me to feel at ease. I could surrender myself to my biological clock and to my circadian rhythm which I could trust will let me know ‘what time it is’. I realised in that moment that the isolation from social and physical interaction was very much needed. By the end of the silent retreat, I recognised my necessity of minimising the distraction of clock time and digital devices.

Someday, there will be a following point of where I am conducting a different experiment about retreating and self-isolation. It could be a silent retreat under professional guidance and conditions, or at least with a clear set of instructions prior to the practice. I missed the freedom and necessity to be surrounded by the forest. Although it was a calm neighborhood, I missed the connection and accessibility to a place where you could only hear the rustling leaves and the subtle howling of the wind. The retreat permitted me to ‘exist’ without being restricted by the mental boundaries of time. But as I attuned to the needs and sounds of my body, I began to feel the physical boundaries (the walls of the space and the compound) even more. Yet without the option to search on digital maps, I wouldn’t really be able to get access to the nearest park. Besides, there was a lack of exercise and movement throughout the whole day. Being outside which was only in the evening, couldn’t come close to the degree of free movement that I aspire to. The idea of being or living in the forest is maybe something I could work towards, although it is romanticized.

All of this is happening in relation to the questioning of my individual autonomy. I try to grasp the ability to reflect on the terms of accepting or rejecting personal values, and the self-defining features that are always changing due to external forces. I cannot neglect the internalized social relations and cultural patterns that have grown with me, nor can I reject them. The social relations between myself as an individual and the world beyond me form an unavoidable influence that define my autonomy. I cannot stop timekeeping if I want to maintain these relations. Therefore, within my own capacity, I am trying to discover the means of relational autonomy, and what aspects of it should be practiced and guarded from external influence. It is the ability to correspond to my personal values, whether as an individual or coming from a collective place, that I must learn to recognise, nurture and to claim freely without the nervous ticking of a clock.

Conclusion

The relevancy of this topic as a graphic designer lies deeply in the industry’s attitude of striving for efficiency. The responsibility for over- consumption and over-production is one of the main defects of the industry, which is still being maintained in an unrealistic standard. My intentions of writing this thesis were not to propose any solutions, but rather to question and contribute to the shift of liberating ourselves from the boundaries of time that modern social constructs maintain upon us. Although, technological innovations initially promise to leave us with more spare, as human we are simultaneously expected to catch up with it and therefore to do more in the same amount of time. Referring to the main question on how we should act upon our bodily processes cultivates a better understanding on the oneself. Taking a step back to embody and experience our individual circadian rhythm is a method for recentering back our energy and reclaiming our time. The method also reveals the blind spots that we are too ignorant (or too busy for) to take into consideration under the circumstances of our accelerated society. This method also maintains the thought of embracing (relational) autonomy as a radical act of individual activism. Contemplating about ones physical and mental well-being is becoming more common to get confronted with. It is a privilege that is reflected (and at times even encouraged) in today’s society but clashes with the cultural and moral aspects of the previous generation. The avoidance of alienation is something more people have begun to resonate with, especially as the condition was brought to its peak during the quarantines of 2020–22.

Contemplating about ones physical and mental well-being is becoming more and more common. It is a privilege that is reflected (and at times even encouraged) in today’s society, but which simultaneously clashes with the cultural and moral aspects of the previous generation. It is almost as if the past generations forbid us to reap the fruits that they have harvested. In response, the avoidance of alienation is something more people have begun to resonate with, especially as the condition was brought to its peak during the quarantines of 2020–22. The values brought forth by the previous generations made little to no sense in light of greater danger, in health and precarity of employment.

The discussion of time and our shifting attitude towards it is still an ongoing process, reflecting upon which methodology “works” to reclaim our relational autonomy. As the general dissatisfaction sows itself deeper into modern society, it is no longer a question of why, but when and how. To reclaim our relational autonomy begins with awareness of the self in context with the connections of others. This involves the balance between the mind and the body in conjunction to lived experiences and their interpersonal relations. It bridges the connection between our inner– and outer perceptions, permitting us once again to resonate with our environment and to live a meaningful life.

Following the next day, I realized that there was a need for almost 8,5 hours of sleep. I woke up around 09:45 without an alarm. The moment when I walked into the kitchen, I was reminded again by the time display from the oven. That was the first thing in the morning that disturbed me enough that I immediately grabbed some tape to block the display. For me to ignore the thoughts of being behind again, I practiced an extensive morning routine which I really needed and haven’t done in a while; the routine in which I meditate, a practice of yoga exercises and then enjoying a well-deserved breakfast.

I needed a reason to go out, but I didn’t know when exactly. Until the first few sun rays appeared behind the moody grey clouds that vividly filled the living room. It felt very serene to acknowledge the moment when I ‘should’ go outside was defined by the daylight breaking through the clouds. Suddenly, I was reminded by clock-time again when the silence was broken up by the ringing doorbell. I flinched. Right after, I stood up to open the door for my friend who returned home.

Bibliography

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Written by Jannie Guo
Thesis supervised by Dirk Vis
Website guided by François Girard-Meunier & Thomas Buxo
Graphic Design BA Thesis, 2023
The Royal Academy of Art, The Hague