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MALLEABILITY OF TIME AND SPACE 

4000 Miles (3)

»If we want to examine the structure and quality of our life, we should turn to its time structures.« — Hartmut Rosa 

Time is a multifaceted concept grounded in the the physical world and elevated by the symbolic and philosophical ideas of mankind. It is an observation as well as a construct and a commodity. It forms a horizon of understanding where elements can form meaningful relationships. Time can also serve as a lens for evaluating social qualities.

»Modernity is about the acceleration of time,« wrote Peter Conrad. In this context, the real-time of today’s data transmission is the result of a process that began with the invention of the clock. The fact that trading companies move their headquarters towards a server farm to be able to trade on the stock exchange a fraction of a tenth of a second faster than the competition shows that not even real-time is the same as real-time. The transmitters are accelerating: the vehicles – horse – railroad – airplane – telephone – Internet. The ranges are getting longer. Space got wiped out, and time got compressed. The concept of technical acceleration is omnipresent, as is its apparent counterpart, personal deceleration.

In science and economics in particular, time is measured with a precision that is imperceptible to the human sensorium and correspondingly difficult to grasp. The idea of a fraction of a tenth of a second has little to do with one’s sense of time. Or does it? Can one consciously fall out of time? Sol (the Martian day) is 39 minutes and 35 seconds longer than on Earth. Consequently, would we have ‘gained’ time on Mars? What quality does time hold for individuals, communities, and society?

4000 Miles has evolved into a third iteration; it is a continuing collaborative project between Prof. Sydney Craig ↗, Herron School of Art and Design in Indiana, USA, and Prof. Judith Glaser, Faculty of Design Würzburg (THWS), Bavaria, Germany. These educators are pursuing high-impact practices for engaged learning as they develop intercultural, multi-disciplinary exchanges meant to encourage and embrace a global mindset. Students from both universities has been challenged to explore the concepts of time and space through object studies and creative problemsolving as they work in teams across 4000 miles and through a variety of art and design media.

The project is part of the Virtual Global Learning Exchange (VGLE).  The course is a cooperation of Prof. Sydney Craig ↗ (Herron) and Prof. Judith Glaser.

Summer Term 2025

»[…] but when a beginning is made— when the felicities of rapid motion have once been, though slightly, felt— it must be a very heavy set that does not ask for more.« — Jane Austen

The new makes itself known to all our senses. As environments shift, we adapt—sometimes fully, often incompletely. Change demands we let go of pieces of ourselves. In unfamiliar surroundings, we search for something unmoving when all else is in motion: a foothold, a constant. Some changes arrive like distortions, rotations, or even disfigurements. Objects move, transform, disappear, reappear. We carry them forward—or leave them behind. The idea for Kinetic Joyride emerged from the merry-go-round: a symbol of life's dizzying pace.
Our project is about change—how it touches the environment, how we respond, and how perception twists with speed.

Immersion in the process of adaptation can yield a blurred, yet beautiful, image—a layered moment of reality and illusion.
It is a portrait of the joy of reinvention, shadowed by a quiet yearning for stillness. Embroideries capture fleeting memories—echoes of places where we felt alive, at ease. Places that offered stability, even as they, too, continue to change. Through arbitrary juxtapositions, an interwoven image forms—one that reflects a shared sense of immersion. A rotating pentagonal mirror frame allows the viewer to modulate the speed—or pause it entirely.

At the heart of Kinetic Joyride lies movement, fluidity, and a threefold dialogue: How do objects change when our surroundings change? And—do we move with them?

The sculptural column tells the mythological concept of fate through three symbolic layers: Clotho in the birth of Erichthonius, Lachesis in Chronos, and Atropos in the fall of Icarus. Each layer of the column represents one of the three Moirai – the Greek goddesses of fate – and ties their function to a moment of mythological transformation: Clotho, the spinner of life’s thread, is embodied in the secretive and miraculous birth of Erichthonius, a figure born from earth and divine conflict. Lachesis, who measures the thread, is reflected in the abstract concept of Chronos – time as a force of order and duration. Finally, Atropos, who cuts the thread, appears in the fall of Icarus, symbolizing the inevitability of mortality and the limits of human ambition. Chromatic, mirror-like foil covers the surface of the sculpture, refracting light into constantly shifting colors. This visual element creates a changing experience depending on the viewer’s position and time of day, evoking the fragility, complexity, and changeability of fate.

The material's reflectivity invites self-perception and introspection, placing the viewer within the narrative and questioning their own relationship to time and destiny. The sculptural form itself draws on the visual language of both classical columns and modern abstraction. It intertwines linear storytelling with a cyclical understanding of time – a temporal paradox in which beginnings and endings dissolve into one another. The column does not simply tell a story; it performs the mythic structure of fate through light, form, and symbolism. In doing so, it becomes a vessel for timeless questions: How is life shaped? Where does agency end and destiny begin? And can we ever truly step outside the thread that binds us?

This tent, sewn from many individual pieces of fabric, holds a deeply personal archive: each sheet carries several gel prints of childhood objects. From the outside, the prints remain invisible. To truly see them, visitors must step inside, peek through a sewn-in window, or even crawl in just like children exploring hidden places.

Suspended in the center of the room, the tent invites quiet curiosity. Its minimal interior avoids distractions, leaving space for atmosphere, light, and reflection.

More than just a shelter, it becomes a nostalgic vessel designed to awaken memories, associations, and a sense of shared past.

By creating a space that must be physically entered, the project encourages visitors to connect with their own childhood and embark on a small journey through time.

Time has absolute value. There is nothing more precious than time, and spending it with others is a privilege.

Spending Time is an interactive object that uses sand as a metaphor for time. The objective of this game is to spend as much time together as possible. An eccentric funnel at the top is filled with sand. By rotating the funnel using the grip ring, you and your friends can control where the sand flows. A balanced plate at the bottom collects the sand. Your objective is to keep this plate balanced for as long as possible by adjusting the sand's flow.

If the plate tips over, you can try to restore the balance or end the game. Spending time together is not just a side effect of the game, it is the objective itself. Spending Time wants you to appreciate the time people spend with you and to offer your time to others.

We worked with concepts relating to time and space. These terms stood in contrast to each other. Their abstraction created a kind of pattern that was brought together in a large-format tablecloth.
This carpet is complemented by cyanotypes, which also capture the theme of time and space. Collected everyday objects such as tickets, receipts or admission tickets are visible on the cyanotypes - traces of places where we have actually been. These objects document specific moments and refer to our personal movement through space and time. It is about capturing fleeting things and transient memories - transforming them into something permanent.