The Bavarian singer-songwriter Werner Schmidbauer calls himself a “collector of moments” [Momentensammler] in his song of the same name. This probably applies to all of us because that’s what it means to be able to weave moments into history and stories—to experience and preserve the interior of a moment. Ernst Pöppel’s studies prove interesting: the brain researcher found that in mammals, everyday gestures like scratching or making contact take two seconds, while in humans, comparable actions, such as shaking hands, pointing fingers, or knocking on doors, take three seconds. The scientific explanation? The human mind records the flow of time in three-second intervals. A human breath lasts that long, and, according to research, so does a moment. Poets, painters, sculptors, and composers, with their paintings and books, reveal an eternity hidden in each of these moments.
Translation Laura Liska
Image Philip Nelson, The Birth of Greece, 2024, 100 × 80 cm (detail)
