Emily Francisco
A Brief Study of Time
August 5–August 27, 2023

The present does not depend on a notion of duration, because of the relativity and volatility it possesses. It exists only in the now and never begins or ends.
The beginning of the present is located in the idealized future, that immediately turns into the now, and then vanishing into the past. The Present is relative, volatile and unattainable.
This explains its non-existence. – C. M. Lawrence

A Brief Study of Time attempts to measure the present moment in flawed increments. Constructed around a malfunctioning West German pendulum clock, the concept of time is presented and amplified through imperfect and irregular sequences–looping sound and light with elements triggered by movement and interaction with objects within the space. Responding to C. M. Lawrence’s essay of the same name.

About the artist:

Emily is a sculptress utilizing disrupted signal flow, cheap consumer technologies, and discarded obsolete devices. Her work largely deals with fragmented time. Born in Honolulu, raised in Missouri’s lead belt, educated in St. Louis and the District of Columbia–her exhibition record includes Rhizome DC, Transformer, Area 405, GlogauAIR Project Space, Vilnius Academy of Arts, The John F. Kennedy Center, and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Her work has been reviewed in The Washington Post and Hyperallergic, and she has discussed her work at the Smithsonian Museum of American Art. Emily currently maintains a studio at STABLE Arts and works as the AV administrator for a massive federal art institution to support her kid and their furry friends. Emily is also an adjunct professorial lecturer at American University.