Clepsydra – Time as Water

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Where does the time go?  Today our lives are structured by mechanical clocks and accelerated digital infrastructures, where our time and attention are  competed for and constantly extracted and commodified.  The use of Artificial Intelligence has disembodied us from understanding how much water is used for gathering knowledge.  I  wonder: what happens when we turn to more embodied ways of experiencing duration? What happens when we look at water as a medium for measuring and embodying time?

This project is inspired by Klio, the muse of history and storytelling. She is often depicted holding either a papyrus scroll or a clepsydra,an ancient water clock. A small ceramic bowl with a hole slowly fills with water until it sinks, marking the passage of time through the movement of water. I have created a series of ceramic water clocks that I use to invite the audience to engage with alternative, embodied ways of sensing time and reflecting on the way water can foster a sense of belonging in the memory it holds.