In this artwork, the hourglass is filled with iron sand, and a small iron figure is mounted on top. The small iron figure teeters on the brink of falling, maintaining the most precarious balance of its center of gravity while rotating.

On each side of the small iron figure, there is a magnet. As the iron figure moves, the iron sand in the hourglass not only flows downward under the influence of gravity but also slows its flow due to the magnetic forces. However, the interfering magnetic forces are too weak, even with the iron figure’s vigorous movements, it ultimately cannot prevent all the iron powder from flowing to the bottom. The hourglass is reset repeatedly, and the iron figure‘s efforts are in vain, repeating the cycle endlessly.


‘One must imagine Sisyphus happy.’ originates from the famous essay ‘The Myth of Sisyphus’ by the French philosopher Albert Camus. This quote delves into the meaning of life and the absurdity of existence. The absurd lies in the juxtaposition between the fundamental human need to attribute meaning to life and the ‘unreasonable silence’ of the universe in response.

In Greek mythology, Sisyphus was condemned by the gods to an extreme penalty: in a state of immortality, he was tasked with rolling a massive boulder to the top of a hill. However, each time he neared the summit, the rock would inevitably roll back down to the bottom. This cycle repeated endlessly, forcing him to perpetually repeat this meaningless task. The essence of this punishment lies in two aspects: the eternal nature of the task and its futility.

Camus presents Sisyphus‘s ceaseless and pointless toil as a metaphor for modern lives spent working at futile jobs in factories and offices. ‘The workman of today works every day in his life at the same tasks, and this fate is no less absurd. But it is tragic only at the rare moments when it becomes conscious.’

‘The struggle itself towards the heights is enough to fill a man‘s heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.’ — Albert Camus

Myriads of small iron figures spiraling in involution, while I live through the daymare of a black hourglass.

Reflections on Reading ‘The Myth of Sisyphus’

這是個填滿鐵沙的沙漏裝置，上方放置一個小鐵人。小鐵人兩側各舉著一塊磁鐵，以最勉強的重心保持平衡並舞動著。在舞動的過程中，沙漏的鐵沙除了受垂直方向的引力影響而向下流外，也會受到水平方向的磁力影響。然而由於干涉的磁力過於微弱，即使鐵人再奮力舞動，也無法阻止鐵沙最終全部流到底部。沙漏一再重置，鐵人的徒勞也周而復始。

‘One must imagine Sisyphus happy.’ 來自法國哲學家卡繆（Albert Camus）的散文《西緒弗斯神話》，這句話在於探討人生的意義和存在的荒謬性，其荒謬在人類賦予生命意義的基本需求、與宇宙對此「不合理的沉默（unreasonable silence）」形成的強烈對比。

在希臘神話中，西緒弗斯（Sisyphus）被天神處以「極刑」：在長生不死的情況下，西緒弗斯被要求將一塊巨石推上山頂。但每當他奮力推到山頂一刻，巨石就必然滾回山下，迫使他不斷重複這個毫無意義的工作。這項刑罰的重點有二：一為永遠，二為徒然。

卡繆將西緒弗斯無休無止、毫無意義的辛勞，比喻為現代人在工廠和辦公室裏虛度生命的徒勞工作：「如今的工人每天都在生命中從事著相同的工作，這種命運同樣荒謬。但只有在罕見時刻意識到這一點時，它才是悲劇的。」

「永遠者，永不終結，世世無盡；徒然者，徒然無功，癈然而返。」— 關瑞至

「攀登山頂的拼搏本身就足以充實一個人的心靈，人們應當想像西緒弗斯是幸福的。」— 卡繆

萬千小鐵人卷卷卷卷卷卷，而我做著黑色沙漏的白日夢。

讀《西緒弗斯神話》有感