A Dream of Body’s Calling
A speculative design project in search of other possibilities of time. Presented in multimedia forms, elaborating on the research of the relationship between human bodies and objectivity of time.
With this new definition of time, we discussed what changes might occur within individuals, relationships, and society through the project.
Inspiration: Menstruation Cycle
Inspired by menstruation cycles, we noticed menstruation forms another way of time perception within females. They tend to recall or schedule things based on their periods. Menstruation, however, is not a phenomenon shared by all. Therefore, we intended to use common physiological phenomena to speculate on possible time perceptions.
We speculated a fictional world in which the time unit is re-defined. A blink of the eye defines the smaller time unit, while stomach rumbles caused by hunger defines the bigger. Time becomes subjective and flows differently among people.
There are two devices attached to eyelids and belly buttons that work as clocks in the world. They provide people with references for time via vibrations and sounds.
/ How would we read a recipe?
In this video, we record how K makes her pudding based on her own recipe. How do we abide by time metrics when they are not an objective standard anymore? Recipes become personal, changing from texts of instructions into memories of the bodies. Every cuisine turns unique and irreproducible.
/ How would we love?
The standard of dream spouses shifts. If being able to find someone that can “share” time with, more than “soul mate,” they resonate both mentally and physically. Time enters the realm of privacy, attached to more personal and emotional meanings. Would love then, be more intimate than ever?
/ Working Scene
We now work within a time zone that is strictly regulated by society and corporations. However, people follow their biological clock in this scene, working in their own time zones; they desynchronize. All paces exist in every workspace.
Body and time are the keywords through the searching process. In Asian culture, human bodies are stigmatized continuously and considered as something that should be hidden.
By displaying physiological phenomena publicly, making them the foundation of time, we push human bodies into another discussion: How could we view biological bodies from a whole and healthier way?
As for “time,” we were forced to live in precision since the Industrial Revolution. The alienation between body, labor, and living has increasingly enlarged. In this fictional world, people live in fluid and personalized time. Although not entirely meticulous, the pros and cons caused by the new time definition are also worth discussion. For us, who are used to chasing time, would it be possible to bring some possibilities of “re-relaxation” of time by this new awareness? We want to invite the audience into the discussion of body and time, further discovering other possibilities.
As for “time,” we were forced to live in precision since the Industrial Revolution. The alienation between body, labor, and living has increasingly enlarged. In this fictional world, people live in fluid and personalized time. Although not entirely meticulous, the pros and cons caused by the new time definition are also worth discussion. For us, who are used to chasing time, would it be possible to bring some possibilities of “re-relaxation” of time by this new awareness? We want to invite the audience into the discussion of body and time, further discovering other possibilities.
Acknowledgements /
This is a thesis project for my bachelor degree in Design at National Taiwan University of Science and Technology. Special thanks to my advisor Chiao Wei Ho and my partner Chao Min Wu.
This is a thesis project for my bachelor degree in Design at National Taiwan University of Science and Technology. Special thanks to my advisor Chiao Wei Ho and my partner Chao Min Wu.
24 –09–2024