Timelight – Beyond Our Ticking World ~ Immerse Yourself in Time ~ Review

Timelight – Beyond Our Ticking World ILA Studio and Gallery Fri 10 Oct, 2025 Timelight – Beyond Our Ticking World is an example of an increasingly popular art form: immersive kinetic arts. Participants enter a space surrounded by projections accompanied by a soundscape (audio track) that focus on a theme. In recent times Adelaide has seen such events based on the work of Da Vinci and Van Gogh. This piece presented jointly by local artists ILA and Berlin based Flora&FaunaVisions focuses on the theme of time. The program notes suggest our concept of time can be quite changeable and fluid. Many depictions of time here are quite abstract and stretch the imagination. But there are also several images of real clocks, the hands of clocks, the usually unseen cogs that make them tick, and various other mechanical parts that measure time  A narration reminds us of the many ways we use time in our daily language – ‘time is on my side’, ‘time is running out’, ‘it’s a question of time’, etc. It also suggests we slow things down; make time go slower, enjoy what we’re doing without rushing, appreciate nature. Timelight is in fact something of a paean in honour of the natural world and a plea to better protect it. In that sense it is very much a philosophical statement. It’s a very pleasant experience. My visit fortunately coincided with some young children running around the space in delight; enthralled by the changing shapes and bewitching lights. It was a joy to watch them. The part of the show asking participants to pause and reflect wasn’t really possible this late in the season – the interactive board was already more than covered with hundreds of thoughts of others – both meaningful and trite. This new breed of sound and light show can be quite seductive, but I’m yet to be convinced that they lead to a greater appreciation of art and its role in the world. They look beautiful, feel quite exciting to be part of, but can leave you with a taste of superficial titillation rather than profound understanding. I don’t doubt the skills and craft required to create them; I just wonder about their value as anything more than dazzling stand-alone multimedia artefacts. 3 stars Michael Coghlan Timelight – Beyond Our Ticking World continues at ILA Studio and Gallery at various times until Sun 12 Oct. Purchase tickets HERE