Sometimes I would like to travel back in time and punch myself in the face. There is no closer and more important connection than the one to oneself, I would dare say. We are tied to ourselves, whether we like it or not.
At times it is very difficult for me to accept who I am and the path I‘ve taken. I question all the decisions that I make and that I have made in the past. In therapy I was told to be kind to myself and to connect with my “inner child”. Another reason I’d consider traveling back to my childhood is to relive experiences with the same intensity as I did back then. Spending hours observing things with fresh, unbiased eyes. In a way, photography is a tool that can put me in exactly this situation and possibly the reason for my obsession with this medium.
I’d also argue that photography is the most effective form of time travel available today. With the click of a button, we can freeze time and preserve it “forever”. However, what’s currently lacking is access to these frozen moments. I’d like to propose a thought experiment that explores the idea of reconnecting with my past self. A self-healing science fiction journey into the past to connect with my “inner child”. According to scientific theory, time travel is theoretically possible, although traveling into the future is easier than traveling into the past. The best way to travel in all directions is through a so-called wormhole.
A wormhole is basically a shortcut in the universe, allowing matter to travel vast distances in a relatively short time. This experiment stretches beyond my imagination, as my knowledge of physics and the universe is limited. It is a mind game on a visual level that is to be understood with a twinkle in the eye. I’m not saying that the topic isn’t serious. It’s my way of processing serious subjects like my mental health in a humorous manner. Connecting this future vision of time travel to aiding in the healing of depression or trauma is perhaps a desire I have. Sharing this idea in a creative way is already therapeutic for me.
Some may interpret this story as a naive escape from reality. That may be true, but as long as this thought exercise personally helps me, it’s worth it for me to contemplate the Earth from outer space, because from that perspective, the problems I have seem to become very small and insignificant.
Tim Rod, born 1992, is a Swiss artist based in Bern, Switzerland. He studied photography at CEPV—Vevey School of Photography (ES diploma, 2021) and holds a Master in Contemporary Arts Practice HKB—Bern University of Applied Sciences. His work often explores issues related to exile and habitat, rootlessness and rootedness, as well as memory, identity, belonging and travelling. His own roots and family history are one of the central elements of his practice and his research, alongside collective visual culture. While his practice remains strongly rooted in photography, his works often expand into site-specific multimedia installations.
His work has been exhibited since 2018 in Switzerland and internationally since 2021. Recent exhibitions include L’Été sans fin (Festival Images, Vevey, 2020), Genesis (Hackney Downs Studios, London, 2021), Charta Bookfestival (Rome, 2021), Photobook Award Encontros Da Imagem (Braga, Portugal, 2021), and the European Photobook Month (Hongkong, 2022). He has been nominated or shortlisted to several major Swiss and international awards. His project Don’t forget the Knifish was awarded the special mention of the near.prize 2021. The same year, he won the vfg Young Talent Award for Photography with the project À demain inshallah.
Copyright © Tim Rod, all rights reserved
