Shellye Tow

In an effort to understand time, timelines are used to visually chronicle events. Historical timelines are drawn as linear diagrams, using dots to signify events. However, history is far more complicated than a linear representation. Just as there is a series of events outside the frame of a photograph, there are experiences beyond the periphery of the timeline.

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Time is not a singular experience; it is messier than that. It is chaotic compared to the visual simplicity of a timeline consisting of clean lines with dots marking significant events. Time is more like a series of events and experiences that overlap and progressively change. Timelines are used to visually chronicle events in an effort to understand time. Historical timelines are drawn as linear diagrams, using dots to signify events. However, history is far more complicated than this kind of linear representation. Some experiences exist beyond the periphery of the timeline.

 

Cyanotype strips are exposed over long periods of time and act as a base upon which I sew and visually create a reconsidered timeline. These new timelines are visual expressions derived from my own observations. Through intuitively layering, deconstructing, and reconstructing the lines and dots of the timeline, I express the connections of our overlapping experiences. The sewn pieces are installed on a wall, and I then thread the pieces together so that the thread also flows onto the wall. The white thread woven beyond the cyanotype strips fades against the white wall. I use the framed and unframed cyanotypes to emphasize and elevate moments in the timeline. So it is, an arrangement of complex moments and overlapping events exists within my work. The traditional linear perception of time is disrupted with lines that move in all directions across the space without a recognizable pattern.

 

A single event has multiple layers, all participating simultaneously; and although one particular experience may not stand out as boldly as the next, they all exist and influence our individual timelines. Time is often regarded as a unit of measurement—a year, a day, a minute, an hour, etc. To minimize time to a simple unit of measurement takes away the value of the moments that live beyond the periphery. By visually expressing time, I reengage those moments and question our understanding and experiences.