Timeline (One Man Cemetery)

Year: 2007
Technique: steel, tego, photographs on ceramic plate, plastic

What happens when the identity of a notion, which by definition has a collective purpose, is transformed into a new objective with a singular purpose in order to create a new concept? I am referring to one of those places that exist because they represent the idea of community, such as squares or cemeteries, which are built to serve for more than one person. Combined with this idea, this installation started to also take shape after a reflection on the precarious nature of things in a determined timeline, as those insects with a short life span that are born in the morning and die in the evening. 

And so came along the idea of a cemetery for only one person who lives multiple lives, each only one year long. Timeline represents an absurd game of time and reality in which the artist passes through his own lives that last just one year (twelve months starting from his birthday). Instead of having just one life composed of years, he has multiple lives of one year long.

Timeline is structured like a funerary monument, with photographs printed on round ceramic plates, just like on real tombstones, with little plaques giving the date of birth and death. The work refers to me at the age of 26, the date when the installation was created. So it is composed of 26 empty wooden boxes, raised 1.71m above the ground (my height). The boxes are 25cm high (like my head). On the left side of the first box, the ceramic plate is printed with my self-portrait having my eyes open and a small metal plaque with my date of birth. On the other side of the box, there is the same self-portrait on the ceramic plate, but having my eyes closed, and underneath of it, the date of death. That is: 1 April 1982 - 31 March 1983 (exactly one year). Then the next life continues on the next box: with the date of birth and the date of death of the following year... and so on up till 2007, where there is only the date of birth but nothing is marked yet for the date of death. 

The boxes are open on two sides, so that the visitor can look through the aligned boxes contemplating the person’s life, from the beginning or from the end of the monument.

Timeline - One Man Cemetery was exhibited for the 10th edition of OPEN - International Exhibition of Sculpture and Installation organised by Arte Communications in Venice.