An exploration of the perception of time through capturing moments instead of time. The experience of a slower pace and the unpredictable natural conditions raise questions about the meaning of time. Perceptions of time vary and are linked to different values. Caught in the construct of time, we sometimes get lost in thoughts about the future and miss the moment. But where are the boundaries of the present in the flow of time?

When time is determined by the rhythm of nature, a different way of dealing with it emerges. The moment itself gains importance. These thoughts are the origin of our research about preserving the moment. By capturing moments with cyanotype, a light sensitive printing formulation, we create a composition of a present from fragments of moments and their temporal shifts. The artifacts of time are tributed to a magical place where time feels more than “being”. A journey along a hallway of time. In collaboration with Yohanes Widoyoko.

At the beginning of our research, we visited several places in Yogyakarta where traditional crafts are still practiced. From a weaving mill to a noodle factory; places and people that inspired and helped us to find our journey in Yogya. The daily exchange about the visited places and the reflection about it, helped us to process our impressions and to make further conclusions. The openness of the people and the fact that they always took time for us made the biggest impression on us. We had the feeling that the people in Yogyakarta live much more in the moment, then we know it from our culture.

Besides the openness of the people in Yogyakarta, we were very interested in the rhythm of nature and how daily routines adapt to it. Since our stay in Yogyakarta took place during the rainy season, we realized quite quickly that this has a great influence on the daily structure and the perception of time on the inhabitants. When it rains you wait until you can move from one place to the next. The perception of time is therefore much more controlled by nature and is thus perceived cyclically and not linearly. This perception has a great influence on the mentality of people and their activities. Our goal was to incorporate our observation of time perception, the adaptation of nature and the generosity of taking time for each other, in our work. With this topic as the foundation of our final work, we began to explore more about the material and medium we wanted to work with. Thinking about working with cyanotype, a light sensitiv material, led us getting to know Yohanes Widoyoko aka Koko, a cyanotype artist from Yogyakarta. Koko accompanied us on our journey, helped and inspired us a lot. Together we exchanged knowledge and ideas, worked day and nights with the chemical und explored its limits.