Liminality & Transition
Time is usually measured one way. However, a chapter inspired me in Einstein’s Dreams by Alan Lightman, where time is calculated through quality instead of quantity. In “Give Me a Break” by Ferris Jabr, he claims breaks improve productivity and well-being. Slowing down and using critical thinking is being lost in the digital age.
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This project serves as an examination of how time passes. It’s an investigation of the slow process of making.
My initial thought for this project was to create something using a miniature letterpress I had just purchased. James recommended doing a time-lapse recording of me assembling the device. However, schedule constraints prevented me from doing so. I decided to switch to another topic as an alternative.
The second idea I developed was a flipbook. Flipbooks represent the passage of time (animation) in a simple, understandable manner. Extending on my experiments with handmade forms this semester, I wanted to do hand-lettering in the vein of graphic designers such as Ed Fella. I made four grids for the letters “T,” “I,” “M,” and “E.”
After spending a long time drawing individual letters, I scanned them and created a flipbook with the image-traced glyphs. James liked the idea but thought the grid form shouldn’t be abandoned. As a response, I made a long poster with various forms.
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