A Wooden Sculpture Explores the Concepts of Time and Thought
At first, it looks like someone’s been messing with the photos of Paul Kaptein’s wood sculptures. But no, the distorted glitch effect is a completely real-life phenomenon. The sculpture is carved to include the warped shape that makes it so striking.
Kaptein discussed the concepts as well as the process of making the sculpture. First up was the overall concept, which explored the movement, and the interruption, of time. He says, “This work considers two strategies for disrupting the flow of temporal perception. The first can be seen as a mental process, as a way of sitting outside time (meditation), while the second refers to the kind of glitches encountered when pausing or stretching tape based media, as a method of controlling time. Both suggest the extension and distortion of a single moment, and point to the dichotomies between various models of time and and how these consider the present.”
From the side, the figure manages to maintain a natural, undistorted profile, so the glitch is also dependent on your perspective. Kaptein was also inspired by Buddhist and Western philosophies for the piece. The rectangular notches in the piece are characteristic of Kaptein’s work, and can be found in his other pieces as well.
As for the glitch effect, Kaptein says that it’s a melding of the traditional with the modern. Wood-carving is an ancient craft that requires physical skill and tools, and the imagery of the monk suggests a long heritage of religion and philosophy. The illusion of the glitch, though, suggests a more modern concept of how a flow of information can be interrupted. Sometimes that interruption is a problem, and sometimes it allows for a new way of thinking. In Kaptein’s words, the two concepts become unified here, as the glitch effect also ties into the notion of Emptiness by undermining the solidity of material.
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