Time's Occupation

 

We are prisoners, caught in shackles of time. Captives, we are forced to march along his incessant drumming, bound, with no way to escape. Yet, we harbour a heart of rebellion. In defiance, we hold on to memory, our weapon of rebellion: the camera.

 

 

Time is a cruel master. He waits for no one. When we are unsure of the best way forward, he continues. When we want to savour a moment, he moves on. When we are in anticipation of the future, he is not interested. When we are in pain, he doesn’t heal; he exerts his presence over us. He constantly reminds us of the control he has over our lives.

 

 

Yet, we do not yield. We do not bend our knees in despair or give in to his oppression. We arm ourselves to defy the enemy. With the camera, we capture fleeting moments that we hope to cherish, of people we want to hold more dear to, and the places that we have a relationship with.

 

 

As captors, time wants to strip us of our identity, and memory is a powerful thing that time works hard to erode. When we forget who we are, the dreams, and the resolve we have at the beginning, we forget what we are capable of. When we lose our resolute and purpose, we sail along with time. And if we sail along for long enough, we sail into darkness.

 

 

Time doesn’t want us to be remembered. Most people are forgotten by history, while those who are not have their achievements forgotten by the newest ideas. Regardless of his opinion, we should be remembered. After all, we are unique and only exist once upon a time. With the camera, we can rebel against time’s bid to erode our existence. When we preserve our image, we are passing down our legacy. By looking at our images, stories and heroes are remembered and shared to inspire those who come after us. The victories we have become the victory of those who claim our legacy, as they behold our likeness.

 

 

These images we make are like secret messages of rebellion hidden for others to find. They are clues and testimonies on how we may seize time. Until we are free of time, we need to find opportunities to capture time, to turn the army of time over to our side. We need to learn how to command them and make them fight for us. The weapon of our rebellion is not lethal against our enemy. Though we can’t kill time, the camera teaches us not to be a slave to time but a master over it.