Playing with time

Using Processing to cut through our perception of time.

The idea that time is flexible and that our perception of time may be something entirely different from what it actually is fascinates me. I created this code experiment as a study for a larger piece that I have in mind. The intent is to help the user explore his or her perception of time using live video.

This application creates two video streams. One which is live, and one which is delayed by eight seconds. The streams are then blended together to show two “instances” of the user, changing the way he or she is perceiving time. With practice, the user can interact with his or her past self creating a bridge between recent past and present.

This was created using the Processing language. Download the experiment here. (Mac application. 54mb)

NOTE: Some people have had trouble getting the app to open. If you get a message like, “TimeCamera is damaged and cannot be opened you should eject the disk image” follow the instructions on this page.