4. Parallels: 1/3
1/3
By Jurre van Rijswijck, Esmee Stouten and
Tom van Kouwenhoven
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Concept
Parallels could be seen as something that occurs or exists at the same time, side-by-side or in a similar way. In this installation, however, we show that the dormal world is seen as an unreal world that exists separately alongside our daily lives, while in reality, it is one-third of our existence. It is a huge chunk that no person actively experiences in the eternal continuous physical world. It divides the mind from the body and sends the unconscious produced thoughts elsewhere, to an ever-changing non-physical world. What happens there remains a mystery.
Photos
The light blue balloons represent the part of your existence that you have been able to influence: What have you achieved in life, and with whom have you shared this part? During your existence in the mysterious non-physical world, this navy part cannot be actively influenced. These balloons represent the elusive: What could you have done with this lost time that you were in a parallel universe?
We invite you to write how you would deliberately want to fill that undeniable 1/3rd part of your existence. Let's hope that dreams will become reality:
Video of the Project (Vimeo)
1/3 (Parallels) from Esmee MT on Vimeo.
Explanation of design
A 15 meter path has been plotted that is divided into three parts. The first five meters only contains dark blue balloons, while the second part only contains light blue balloons. The visitors are invited to write a 'wish' on a dark blue balloon filled with helium.
The longer the exhibition takes, the bigger the contrast between those parts or "balloons" will be. The helium will slowly disappear from the balloons, leaving the wishes hopelessly on the ground. On the other hand, the light blue balloons are constantly being replaced and supplemented. This illustrates the part of life that we consciously experience and exert influence on, compared to the inescapability of sleeping. It is the only parallel existence that we experience every day. It is a world that you cannot escape from; a world that you cannot avoid; and a world that you cannot fully share with others. It is a world that just happens to you.
The deflating balloons illustrate both this 'powerlessness' and 'elusiveness' while we are absent from this dormal world, as well as the 'controllability' of the physical world.
A selection of the 114 responses
In the 8 years I slept, I could have done this had 10.6 children.
In the 8.3 years I slept, I could have done this I could have done more music.
In the [blank] years I slept, I could have done this learn more languages.
In the 3 1/2 years I slept, I could have done this ik had dieren kunnen redden die door de mens worden bedreigd.
In the 17 years I slept, I could have done this studied media technology, to understand it better.
In the 19 years I slept, I could have done this take it easy, more and more.
In the 8 years I slept, I could have done this be awake and become president!!
In the 11 1/2 years I slept, I could have done this actually sleep 1/3 :(
In the 8 1/3 years I slept, I could have done this een hele kledinglijn designen gebaseerd op een circulaire levensstijl, gebruikmakend van evolving fabric.