Topology is about the curvature of spacetime; and time, conversely, has a topological dimension, according to philosopher and physicist Karen Barad. But time is not only mathematical (topo-logical) but personal: time is what matters to us, individually and collectively.
Inspired by the research generated by the Lifetimes project, I would like alter the collective chrono-topology of the conference to put some of these ideas into practice. We talk a lot about time and timing, but rarely step outside of the structured temporal environment of societal clock time to experience the here and now arising from our own internal clocks, and the natural timegivers of daylight and environmental rhythms. As an artistic researcher, I explore alternative temporalities through practice-based research, and I developed Uchronia (temporal utopia) to offer a new way of thinking and experiencing time.
By removing yourself from societal time, in this workshop you will go on a sensory journey to explore alternatives to clock time. First, you will safely store your phone, watches, laptops and other clocks. You will be given a new ‘Zeitgeber’ (timegiver) and a set of instructions to explore the local environment in an uncommon way – by following different (human and more-than-human) rhythms. This experiment will be followed by a collective conversation on how each of us can develop our own individual Uchronia, our collective time together, and change our experience of time in the now, and the long now.
Bio: Dr Helga Schmid is an artist and researcher, and founder of Uchronia, a platform for critical and imaginative thought on the contemporary time crisis, challenging current perceptions, and offering alternative ways of being in time. Uchronia explores the multifaceted nature of time in an academic and public context. She opens up a new world of temporality (lived time) situated at the intersection of design, sociology and chronobiology. She advises, promotes and lectures on technological acceleration processes, the politics of time, alternative temporal systems, and deep time. Helga also leads the Graphic and Media Design programme at London College of Communication, University of the Arts London, and is a resident artist at Somerset House, London. Previously she taught and conducted research at the Royal College of Art, London, and was a researcher at the Museum of Modern Art, New York.