I started rereading In The Order of Time. Made these small drawings to try to understand the structure of time as Rovelli describes it.
I seem to take pleasure in discovering over and over my perceptions and assumptions about the world around me are inaccurate. Amongst many other surprising properties, I read that:
- Time varies based on how fast I’m moving, how high up in the air I am.
- Past, present and future only makes sense in the immediate bubble around us. Much of the universe is filled with events that are neither the past, present nor future, relative to us.
- Heat is the only thing in physics equations that distinguishes between past and future, as heat can only pass from a point of higher temperature to a point of lower temperature. Every other equation else is reversible, the past and future makes no difference.
Unlike the many candles I made previously, the shapes of these candles were determined by their internal structure.
I liked that I couldn’t predict how they would burn until they were lit. I purposely created conundrums where it seemed like the flame might have to choose one path or the other. It seemed fitting of the characteristics of time I was reading about in Rovelli’s book.
I liked how they looked like small roots to be used in herbal spells when held in my hands.
I always struggle with documentation.
On one hand it seems essential for ephemeral processes. On the other I find it extremely challenging to not get caught up in the image I’m creating and just pay attention to the present moment.
I couldn’t resist taking one photo while burning this first one. But for most of the time I took detailed annotations on the flame size and melting speed instead:
Then I used the information above to redraw in a more streamlined form.
