Time is an illusion.

Many physicists and philosophers view time as an illusion, not because it does not exist at all, but because our sense of a constant, flowing “now” is a construct of the brain or emerges from deeper, timeless quantum processes. This challenges time’s fundamental role in reality and fuels theories in which all moments might coexist. Relativity shows that time is not absolute but relative, while quantum physics suggests it could arise from entanglement, with our experience of flow tied to increased entropy and our limited perception. Together, these ideas hint at a static, timeless underlying reality.

Time #1: Trying to catch up with time

The sense that time moves faster than we can keep up with, known in psychology and sociology as time poverty or social acceleration, is a well-documented phenomenon.  Research shows this feeling growing sharper due to a blend of biological memory processes, rapid technological changes, and a societal Red Queen effect that demands ever-faster movement just to stay in place. Modern life is defined by social acceleration, a theory in which changes in technology, society, and daily pace feed on one another in a continuous loop. Even as technology automates tasks to “save time,” the number of activities we feel compelled to undertake has increased more quickly than automation can reduce them.
The human brain doesn’t experience time like a clock; perception is highly subjective and shifts with age and mental state.
Known as the Memory Content Hypothesis, the brain measures time by the density of new experiences. As adults fall into routines, fewer unique memory chunks are formed, causing years to feel shorter in hindsight. Recent studies  indicate that aging leads the brain to register fewer distinct neural moments within a given period, helping explain why time seems to slip away.
Acute stress can cause the brain to overestimate time intervals, making the available time feel even scarcer than it is.

Materials and technique: cotton fabrics, printmaking inks, poly thread, cotton batting, embroidery floss. Monoprint on fabric, machine quilted, hand embroidery, thread painting.