"As Long As Possible"

Started by TheBadger, April 13, 2017, 07:26:21 PM

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TheBadger

"It simply can't go on forever".

"If we can't keep a GIF going, then what hope is there for anything else" (paraphrase)

https://thenextweb.com/eu/2017/04/12/finnish-museum-commits-to-playing-a-1000-year-long-gif-to-the-bitter-end/#.tnw_t53BaDuH

Still want to see an animation where a human figure walks around a TG earth at real life speed.
It has been eaten.

Oshyan

Strangely I actually kind of like the *social* conceit of the piece, i.e. that it will require future generations to "care" for it and keep it going for it to fulfill its purpose. However I recently saw a piece of mechanical "art" that really blew my mind:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5q-BH-tvxEg
Something that will not complete its purpose for more than 2 *trillion* years.
An explanatory quote from the comments "The concrete will have turned to dust and the atoms die before the final gear can turn"
And yet they are all clearly, physically, mechanically linked, and you can watch the motion reduce and reduce until... it seems to cease, yet does it truly?
Talk about long-form art. :D

- Oshyan

TheBadger

#2
Me too. And I find my liking the idea rather strange too, since I am usually just irritated by modern art that attempts to be optimistic. But with this work, I find his statements really simple and real and honest.
If we can't even do this, than how can we do anything else? But that's how I feel about nearly all social projects... If we can't get this one guy living on the street working, how can we make anything social work?

I can imagine that if we make it 50 years even, than the project could begin to become well known art. I am a bit of a contrarian, so I would be interested to see it still counting when I am 85 years. If I make 85. Let alone 1000  :o

I like the link you posted too.
With that one I am for some reason pleased by the gears. As far as the message though, I am not sure how to take it. I would have to sit with that one for a while. ;)
It has been eaten.

Dune

The 'gears and concrete' makes me think of society too, how slow things change once the first step has been taken (mostly). Great work, I dig that too.