Artists delve into isolation: French creators participate in 'Deep Time II', secluding themselves from external connections
Grab your art supplies and descend into darkness 🔦✏️💰
Deep Time 2, an intriguing experiment taking place in a subterranean wonder of South-eastern France, invites a group of courageous artists to partake in a fascinating 2-week collaboration. Their ensemble will be crafting captivating works in the deep, heart of a Lombrives cave, shrouded in darkness and cut off from the world.
In this bizarre artist retreat, these creators aim to shed new light on the artistic process—removed from the constraints of time. And they're daring to take it to the extreme!
So, imagine it: for nearly two weeks, the inventive minds behind this unique collaboration will carve their masterpieces in the depths of an underground abyss. They're venturing below the earth to finish the unfinished pieces that must be completed aboveground within two months to unveil the final exhibit for passionate admirers.
This isn't the first time such a test of human endurance has been attempted – four years ago, a group of 15 fearless individuals buckled up for a 40-day odyssey plunged into the heart of a Pyrenean cave.
The leaders of this daring endeavor, the Human Adaptation Institute, aspire that the experiment will help scientists better understand our reactions to massive shifts in our lives, like the recent COVID-19 pandemic. In our fast-paced world, we're inundated with screens and endless content, constantly battling with doomscrolling. Over 80% of us feel as though time passes too swiftly, and most express frustration that they don't have enough of it.
This subterranean sojourn aimed to quell those concerns and reconnect people with the slower rhythm of nature. During their time underground, the project director, Christian Clot, shed light on the fascinating dynamics at play: "It's really intriguing to observe how this group synchronizes themselves."
A plethora of scientists, hailing from renowned facilities in France and Switzerland, studied the behavior of these adventurous souls. They observed changes in their sleep patterns, social interactions, and responses to their new environment, armed with specialized sensors like tiny temperature-measuring capsules swallowed like pills and secretly tracking the participants' physiological changes.
Though the volunteers appeared weary, over two-thirds expressed a longing to remain underground a bit longer, so they could complete projects they'd started during the journey. That's the power of artistic passion and a testament to the allure of this experiment!
But what happens when artists trade the sun for shadows and embrace darkness as their new muse? Well, let's ponder the implications... Without clocks, sunlight, or external connections, these artists will be able to flex their creative muscles like never before, pursuing their dreams with unparalleled resolve and intrigue. But they'll also grapple with the challenges of isolation and sensory deprivation as well as heavy humidity, extremes in temperature, and limited physical resources.
Deep Time 2 is poised to bring forth a fascinating dialogue around the nature of human adaptation, resilience, creativity, and artistry. If you ask me, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for these explorers to delve into the heart of darkness and reveal the never-before-seen treasures hidden deep within their souls. Are you ready to join them on this exciting dive into the underground world of art? 😈🔨🌧️😍🤘🏼🌋🌄🤫🌅⚡️🕰️🔮
- artist
- social experiment
- Research & Development
- lack of time
- isolation
- sensory deprivation
- physical challenges
- cave
Enrichment Insights:
The experiment aims to test the artistic process in isolation, similar to those conducted by Michel Siffre, emphasizing:
- Loss of external cues: The environment free of clocks, calendars, or natural light will distort the participants' perception of time, leading to shifts in their artistry and creative output.
- Psychological adaptation: With no sensory stimuli or external connections, the artists may experience heightened introspection, potentially enhancing their creativity or inducing sensory deprivation effects.
- Material and physical challenges: The harsh conditions within the cave—freezing temperatures, high humidity, and perpetual dampness—may create obstacles for artists in terms of materials, physical comfort, and workability of their chosen medium.
- Focus on instincts and emotions: Without external distractions, the artists' artworks may evolve into spontaneous expressions of their emotions and thoughts in their subterranean abode, leading to a unique showcase of their psyches.
- Synchronization and group dynamics: Being trapped underground with barely any outside contact could force the participants to dig deep and rely on one another emotionally, leading to fascinating dynamics among the group.
In conclusion, this unconventional experiment could yield enlightening insights regarding human adaptation, introspective creativity, group interactions, and the role of external cues in shaping artistic output. The expedition could serve as a catalyst for further exploration into isolated environments' impact on art and the human psyche.
- The artists participating in Deep Time 2 will not only explore the depths of a Lombrives cave but also delve into the depths of their own minds, finding connections between environmental-science and mental-health as they navigate the challenges of sensory deprivation and isolation.
- As these artists step away from the bustle of health-and-wellness concerns and fitness-and-exercise regimens, they will immerse themselves in an unusual research & development project that could redefine the boundaries of science and art, shedding light on our capacity for adaptation, resilience, and creative expression in the face of extreme conditions.
