Una Sigtryggsdóttir

Work:
Does time move faster when we watch it pass, 2016/17. Wooden rod and tape, dimensions variable. Courtesy the artist.

Venue:
Kling & Bang

Una Sigtryggsdóttir breaks apart the apparent dichotomy between objective time (mechanisms such as clocks and calendars) and subjective time (perceived changes and experiences), choosing to focus on how these two methods of keeping time may intersect. In her work, flipbooks, shadows on draped fabric, and changes in Gross Domestic Product are equally valid as measures of time. These and other time-metric constructs are folded into her sculptures, videos, installations, and music. Her work measures measures and asks: Which is most intuitive? How can we visually experience time? Where has it gone and where is it going?

In an explicit juxtaposition of such metrics, Does time move faster when we watch it pass (2017) incorporates a quotidian material, tape, which is commonly associated with cohesion and tactility. Selecting a multitude of types of tape, varying in width, color, pattern, durability, and practicality, Sigtryggsdóttir fastens one end of each roll to a hanging rod on high. After each roll of tape is released, it initially unfurls to a different length, depending on its weight and tackiness. It then continues to unroll over time throughout the course of the exhibition at varying rates responding to the forces of gravity. In this work, each roll of tape is repurposed to become a clock of sorts, which similarly calibrates the hours and rotates as time passes. However, countering the cohesion associated with the material, this work also makes clear that each “clock” experiences and expresses time differently.