10 October – 18 October 2020 Comma Space

---

“The Waiting Machine” explores the moments and experience of time when we are kept in waiting. Waiting reflects a peculiar moment of human experience, in situations such as taking our place in the queue, waiting to be called. Under these situations, waiting transforms time into an emotional display controlled by how patiently or impatiently we wait.  The more you think about it – just like the common experience of “a watched pot never boils”- the bigger waiting appears.  Waiting ultimately makes us surrender our position at the centre of attention, accepting a place determined solely by the time of joining.

“The Waiting Machine” consists of a collection of kinetic assemblages built out of mementos and found everyday objects. As a whole, it performs as a machine waiting for its human to interact with. It is in itself a built-in clock: the machine counts the moments and interactions with its person, turning the act of waiting into the motive force of the installation. Audiences are encouraged to interact with /operate “The Waiting Machine”.  Through such engagement, the exhibition leads us to explore how we can deal with time and meaning, and how this relates to the society in which we live.