The exhibition's theme: time
In this section, we share the understanding of the concept of time from
the perspective of four different disciplines and their representatives.
Time in Mathematical Philosophy
Almost all contemporary mathematicians –even those who have never discussed philosophical themes in mathematics– follow the doctrine of mathematical Platonism. Here, a central question of the mathematical journey is discussed: whether and how mathematical objects exist.
Do numbers exist? And the answer here is yes. Mathematical entities are abstract, eternal and unchanging.
Jean Cavaillès was a French scholar whose ideas allow other views. For him, mathematical discoveries are time-dependent and mathematics evolves because the concepts and problems that arise within it force each other to produce new theories. The mathematician merely observes these developments.
Time in Literature
Jorge Luis Borges was a writer from Argentina. Inspired by the Surrealist Movement, his works explore motifs like labyrinths, time and eternity.
His short story Funes el memorioso, we learn the tale of Ireneo Funes, who, after falling from a horse and suffering a head injury, gains the ability to remember absolutely everything. However, what initially sounds like a wonderful talent becomes his own downfall. Unable to stop remembering every old memory and tormented by this experience, Funes now spends his days in the dark, a place where he can avoid all stimuli.
What sounds like a tragic story is actually quite optimistic, as it teaches us to value our memories and the transcience of human nature.
Time in Visual Arts
Salvador Dalí created one of the most famous works of surrealist art: La persistencia de la memoria. We see various bizzare clocks. Some melt like Brie cheese while flies fly by, and some are being eaten by ants. All this in a dreamlike landscape. It is a strange and disturbing piece.
With this artwork, Dalí shares his thoughts on our relationship with time. The flies symbolize how time flies, and the deterioration of the clocks can be interpreted as an explicit visualization of the state of our society: Our focus on technology and precision has lead to the collapse of our understanding of reality. The unnatural melting of the clocks represents time dilation in Einstein‘s special relativity theory.
Time in Pop Culture
Time is a very common motif in pop culture. This is the case, for example, in the time-travelling movies of Back to the Future. Another example is the videogame The Legend of Zelda – Majora’s Mask.
Here, the player is trapped in a 3-day cycle, after which the moon will fall to the world. The player either saves the world from its impending doom or travels back in time. The game explores many elements associated with time: Time as a menace –there is a literal moon falling to the world. The value of memory –all characters forget all their experiences once we go back in time. Time as healing –in many stories the characters need to heal open wounds for which the player needs to be in the right place at the right time.