Chronostasis

Paris, France - 2016 Ilford HP5 120 film 6000 x 6000

What does it mean to exist within time? It’s a constant state of being, and yet how often do we really ponder its implications? Whether time is in fact cyclical, relative or linear is ultimately irrelevant if our perception is dominated by the latter.

“Chronostasis” in Greek means literally “time standing.” When we are in awe or in fear, there's a physiological experience of time dilation. It can feel as if the moment lasts forever. Similarly, when we are children, blissfully unaware of the consequences of time, we live purely in the moment. As we age though, our perception of time speeds up and we are more aware of the unfolding of events.

Awareness brings the dichotomy of expanding and simultaneously constricting our perception. Try as we may to recapture, preserve or peer through the bounds of that temporal glass, we will always be arrested within it, captivated by its light and unable to see ahead.