Science Museum Premieres 'In My Own Time'

In my own time is a collection of four new films exploring time – from the subjective experience to measured clock time – initiated during an eight week artists' residency at St John's College, Oxford. During this period Grace Weir investigated black holes, notions of time and light, Einstein's theory of relativity, the possible changing relationship between clocks and the planets and philosophical ideas surrounding our understanding of the planet. The resultant films explore how we construct, rationalise and experience time. The free exhibition opens to the public on 2 October and runs until 25 November 2007.

Visitors to the exhibition can view the high-definition films 'Picture of the floating world', a depiction of the passing moment; signature work 'In my own time', which explores ideas surrounding event time and our perceptions of place; and 'A deep field for the time deaf' and 'A little bit of unknown' which both draw on the unanswered questions in space time concerning galaxies and black holes. (For further detail, see editor notes)

Grace Weir, who has previously represented Ireland at the Venice Biennale, said, "My work attempts to align a lived experience of the world with scientific knowledge and theory. Einstein's theory of relativity, and its redefined perceptions of 'space-time', initiated my interest in exploring how space and time are fundamental to personal identity and constructions of reality. I am fascinated by the concept of time – the different ways we measure our temporal existence, from clock time to event time, and how new discoveries in theoretical physics continually shift our understanding of time. I hope that visitors to the exhibition will leave with a more complex sense of time, of the connection between the concept of one's self as a being in time, and the sense of one's life as a narrative."

Hannah Redler, Head of Science Museum Arts Projects, added, "Weir's exceptional work expands the viewer's understanding of scientific theory whilst retaining a powerful poetry, beauty and conceptual integrity. Grace Weir is a great artist for Science Museum Arts Projects to work with. Although science and processes of science are her subjects, her perspective is firmly that of an artist investigating the world around her, and her work is as much involved with the qualities and structure of film-making as it is with science. As with all our arts projects, In my own time offers viewers new ways of thinking about the impact of science within a wider cultural context, presents a new opportunity for people to encounter contemporary art, and inspires a new perspective with which to view the museum's related collections." -- www.sciencemuseum.org.uk