One Line at a time

A study of time as informed by emotional data

For over 5 years now, I’ve been writing one line every day…

…in a journal that now contains over 1,800 daily entries or data points (365 days x 5 years) about the first half of my twenties (ages 21–26). It’s a time of change, transition, identity formation and re-formation.

With a focus on moments and experiences, the journal offers me a new idea of time that is removed from our typical “chronos” notion of time — that which is measured by seconds, minutes, hours, and so on.

So I asked myself — what would it look like to take our chronos time-telling mechanisms and manipulate them to display this more personal understanding of time?

The resulting series of clocks, powered by significant events and experiences in my life, offer a new perspective on the notion of time. But, perhaps more prominently, this project simply serves as a visualization of a very common human endeavor — the attempt to make meaning of one’s life.

Each of the four clocks came about as an effort to answer four burning questions:

1. What are my main priorities over the 5-year period?
2. How does my perspective on my romantic relationships change with my initial rejection- then eventual acceptance- of my queer sexuality?
3. How does my view towards my mental health change across 5 particular moments in a year?
4. What identity sources give me the greatest sense of pride and contentment?

The exhibition opening was in late November at ‘Ace in Buenos Aires.

I’m now looking for a new home for the series somewhere in the U.S. Please let me know if you have any ideas.

Shout out to the friends that brainstormed with me — @jamesonthecrow Austin Britty @telefonotografia @cecandiani @proyectoace — and the strangers that continue to serve as inspirations for my work: giorgia lupi Aaron Koblin, Jonathan Harris, @brenebrown, and Nicholas Felton