The Orbit of a Second
Installation made with ice, water, hot plate, glass, wood, and flashing. 2017.
In this ephemeral installation, three disks of ice melt into the top of a glass box. The water then drips through a small cavity onto a hot plate, where it audibly sizzles, evaporates, and fogs up the inside of the box. The shadows cast onto the walls create an orbit around the central disk, and as the ice melts, the shadows slowly distort - changing shape as the ice changes state.
The slow, continuous drips of water become visible and audible measurements of time, like the second hand of a ticking clock. Conversely, the transformation of the shadows occurs at an almost imperceptible rate. This subtle change is meant to reference other inconspicuous movements, such as our planet’s rotation around its axis at a mind-boggling 1000 miles an hour, which we only experience as a change in light.
