The Arrows of Time

This is a piece I made for Marton Arts Society’s annual exhibition as a guest artist. The theme was to do with time. I based the design on the concepts in our understanding of the universe that give time a direction. Most scientific laws work both forward or backwards and make no distinction between the past and the future. However, obviously, a glass of water can spill but never spontaneously does the water flow back into the glass. So why does time have a direction? There are three things that distinguish between the past and the future. One is thermodynamics, heat flows from hot to cold but never the reverse (unless you put in energy to make it do so). The second is the universe itself which is expanding (The Big Bang), the cosmological arrow. Finally there is life and hence our minds which see a past, a present and a future, the psychological arrow. The design symbolises the universe starting with the Big Bang (white) and how it evolves so that cosmology/matter (black = space) and thermodynamics (red) interact to produce life (green) symbolised by the classic tree of descent motif. Decoratively a one sided design. Three end block weave with shaft switching and hand manipulation. Cotton warp, carpet wool weft. Finish bottom half Damascus edge then warp braiding (22 braids to symbolise the 11 dimensions of the universe), top Damascus edge.

Size 800 x 1170 mm

$700