Einstein's Dreams

For this project i am required to produce a photographic narrative consisting of 8 A3 photographs designed to sum up the illusive nature of the book "Einstein's Dreams" by Alan Lightman a fictional novel of dreams about time and therefore should be thought provoking in their outcomes.

I have been allocated a chapter from the book that i am required to study and come up with a solution to what i feel is appropriate to the brief. I have approached the problem by trying to decipher the text and the nature of what i believe it is communicating.

It deals with the essence of time, mechanical and body time and how these two descriptions of time are followed rigidly by two differently minded types of people.

Those who follow mechanical time are almost robotic in their reaction to it. They rise at 7 eat lunch at noon and supper at six. They work 40 hour weeks, read Sunday papers on Sundays and play chess on Tuesdays.

Those following body time listen to their heart beats, eat when they are hungry and go to work when they wake.

Each interpretation of time is true but the truths are not the same.

As part of my primary research i have chosen to look at the work of photographers Cindy Sherman, Man Ray and Jeff Wall. I have found that Sherman's approach to analysis particularly interesting as she simply puts down her ideas onto paper before she picks up her camera here are some examples of her problem solving.

Extracts above taken from, Cindy Sherman, Retrospective.

Cindy's brainstorming is fluid with no holes barred, she initially allows her mind to wonder and gets her thinking down loosely. this is the same method that we are talk in design and i intend on using it for this brief.

My initial thoughts are to combine images that show body time combined with mechanical time in a sort of double exposed way. Although technically difficult i intend on exploring this possibility as it interests me and reflects the essence of my chapter. I now intend on researching the possibilities of producing these images. I want to combine binary clocks, atomic clocks and other methods of measuring mechanical time with images that include people living in body time for example lovers lost in body time by a river as described in my chapter.

I have been studying the book on Jeff Wall, "Figures and Places" and have been drawn to his particular style of conceptual thinking. In it there is a particular relevant discussion on time and timelessness. It explores time and how the moment is influenced and constantly affected by the past. It explains that there is no inner definition without being informed through consciousness by the past as this would create only momentariness. I found this very interesting conceptual thinking and especially how this is applied to his images. Here are some examples.

Jeff is an extremely deep thinker and many of his images are produced on large format cameras to produce transperancies some 200 x 320cm that are designed to be viewed in a light box for the best possible image quality, nothing is left to chance.

It has interested me how Jeff Wall thinks about things conceptually and i aim to progress my work in this way. I have decided to try and apply the concept that things may be controlled through mechanical time whilst others are produced far more similar to body time in a less controlling and random non linear way. To pursue this concept i have chosen some random materials and objects that i intend on photographing in the studio. This is experimental photography and i really need an open mind as to the results that will be achieved.