Space and Time

We measure the physical distances we travel in our lives in terms of time. I live in a flat on the second floor, out of my window I can see the little shed where the washing machine is kept. It’s about 8 meters away from me. However, to get to it I need to walk out the door of my flat, down the communcal stairs, out the door of the front of the building, along the street, into the back yard and finally into the shed. About 60 meters perhaps. But… I have to get my shoes on, put on something warm, find my keys. In space, the washing machine is 8 meters away from me, in terms of the time it is inconveniantly distant!

Likewise, there’s a supermarket 18km from our house and another one 9 km from us. The one further away from us is down the motorway, the closer one is through town. The distant supermarket is geographically further away and chronologically closer.

Our mental maps of the spaces we inhabit and the locations we visit are created by the amount of time thay are seperated from each other by. And the time of day that we inhabit them.

I would like to explore these time-scapes more fully.

• What would a map adjusted to show ‘nearness’ in chronological rather than spatial dimensions look like?

• What does it tell us about space in differing environments, urban and rural, or countries with differing levels of transport capability.

• Metropolitan or ‘Gateway’ towns such as London, Hong Kong or Panoma. These are highly connected places. In terms of ‘nearness’ the world’s shape is changing. A new order of spaces has emerged.