CLOCKWORK MOON SERIES
ClockwoRk Moon (the impossibility of living in the moment)
48cm x 48cm
Ink and incense-burned drawing on Korean paper, embroidery hoops, light, 2017
Commissioned by Singapore Art Museum, 2017.
Addiction is an illness, and one that affects the whole family in unexpected ways. There is rarely an obvious sign to the outsider, but within the family there is a constant struggle to gain control over a situation that is spiralling into chaos, personalities which are changing moment to moment, and trust regularly being broken.
The artist spoke to addicts as well as families of alcoholics to learn about their struggles with time. Many experienced time in jolting, jarring, changing ways. One moment time is racing in the heat of an argument and the next it can stretch out in painful yawning chasms when experiencing doubt, worry or paranoia about the addict - whether that worry may or may not be unfounded. The present moment is often spoiled by ugly thoughts and fears from the past or worrying about what is to come. There is an overwhelming feeling that time can simply spiral in an endless cycle of repetition, where the individuals feel on the edge of sanity to be experiencing such highs and lows, believing that this time it will be different, but eventually realising that they are living the same moment over and over. These individuals feel adrift, and it is often an incredible challenge to live in the moment, without fearing the future or churning over the past while the current moment slips away, wasted and ruined.