A wall of 450 flip-clocks all display 15:26 in the entryway to "Second Thoughts" at Contemporary Art Gallery, Art Tower Mito. Seconds pass ... CLICK, all synchronized to the minute. The sound of 15:27 is so overwhelming it's surprising to see only one digit change: 6 to 7. Standing, waiting for 15:28, I ponder the moment, the point between what has passed and what is to come. Is this everything, or is it nothing? Just one second to the next. Then all the clocks flip to 8.
Darren Almond's artistic investigation of the world could be said to be characterized by a deep interest in time. Largely renowned for video works, he often plays with our perception of duration as both a personal and a politically engaged subject. But his works are about much more than just time. They investigate existence, life, travel, endurance, cycles, industry and much more, as he explained in this recent interview.
What was your first encounter with Japan?