The Time Sculpture - Art, Artists and History Mix

I've always had a fascination with time. If you are a regular reader to my blog you know that I believe we are the first generation to become virtually immortal. With that thought has come my need to explore the immortality of art itself and what becomes of art after the artist is gone.

With this in mind I am creating (or have created depending on when you read this) the first in a series of "Time Sculptures".





This first prototype is a time capsule in the form of a sculpture. When completed this will be a series of 25 interlinked 5" cubes made of fired tiles and sealed with rock grout. Within each cube will reside a sealed packet containing a written statement and personal information for 25 artists who are currently a functioning artist in the year 2015. The statement will be short (1,000 words or less) written by each artist. Each cube will also contain a thumb drive containing the work of each artist.

Once each cube is sealed an engraved tile will be placed on the cube with a date upon it. The date will be the future opening date for that specific cube The date will correspond to the artists birth date. No other information will be provided on the front of the cube except the opening date.

The cubes will be arranged with the first opening dates being at the top of the sculpture which means that artists near the top will have their cube opened in the future first while artists towards the bottom will be some of the last to be opened.

How will they be opened? I suppose that is up to the persons opening them in the future. The grout could be removed thus loosening the top or a sharp hit to the topmost tile would shatter it. Again its up to the future to decide the best ways to do so.

Will the contents survive? I can't really answer that. It very well may be that the thumb drives held within will have degraded by then, or that the technology of the era may render them unreadable. But I will seal each thumb drive in plastic to keep it as safe as possible. Each thumb will also contain a text message duplicate of the artists written statement as well as a text message explaining the sculpture. Two hard copy versions of the artists statement will also be included, one on paper and one laser printed on plastic, in the hopes that at least one version will survive.

Upon the base of the sculpture will be the following words:

"Art is an extension of who I am into a future where my physical self cannot go"

It is my hope to do a complete series of these pieces, with each being donated to a museum or art institution once completed.

There is only room in this first sculpture for 25 artists, but if you would like to be one of those 25 artists please see the following link. I will choose the 25 that I feel best represent the spirit of the sculpture and inform each artist once the choice has been made.

ARTISTS IN TIME

You can follow the building of the Time Sculpture at the following link:

TIME SCULPTURE WORKING NOTES