The Missing Time

In Western contemporary societies, time has been defined in terms of standardized clock time in order to measure and control it. This has resulted in a culture of speed and the experience of accelerating time, which can take its toll on multiple aspects of our lives, such as physical and mental health, work, relationships and the environment. However, we do see counter reactions towards this way of living: The Slow Movers. This social group recognizes the impacts and aspires to determine their own tempo in any given context.

The Missing Time is a research and design project, which is based on a thesis I wrote for my other degree (Arts and Culture Studies) at Erasmus University. The thesis examines how Slow Movers use culture, such as art, music and literature, in order to cope with the experience of accelerating time. This thesis has been transformed into a publication with images from my visual process. Furthermore, the audio recordings of nine interviews with Slow Movers have formed the foundation for the storyline of three experimental films.

The first two films express the two extremes of fast and slow and the third, main film presents both films in the format of a dialogue. In this way the audience can experience the struggle of balancing fast and slow, coexisting at the same time.

The aim of these films is to open up the conversation about different perceptions of time and let the audience rethink their way of dealing with time.

“Culture can offer us alternative ways to look at the passage of time, which can be considered more creative and non-dogmatic.”

Eveline van der Duim

You can watch all three films separately on my website.