Mark Hansen, the author of Shi Jian (meaning ‘time’ in Chinese), contradicts the mainstream-Western view of time, the passing of one discrete state to another. Instead, he highlights the Chinese thinking of time as a ‘process in between discrete states and perceptions’.
The website interface parallels Hansen’s perspective on time. The website has no navigation bar, rather it only allows the user to go back and forth. The background color is a deep purple with the words “Shi Jian” on the bottom-right quadrant, what I think to signify wisdom and creativity because Hansen’s argument is very abstract which takes time and energy to develop and understand. The color purple reflects the deep thinking put into his argument.
The pages is separated by 2 columns, words on the left, visuals on the right. Hansen introduces the viewing of time through early western philosophers. Then in the next page, he presents the eastern thinking along with 2 gifs of 5 asian men walking down a path in the winter and summer. The similarities and differences of the visuals helps to highlight his point of time as a transition.
Hansen showcases his 6-month travel in China with over 1200 pictures and 103 videos through the only link in his website ‘Go to Timeline’. There his collection is can be seen in 5 different ways: Span, Place, LIght, P.O.V, and Types of Time. The user can then click on the words and see his photos in multiple ways, through a timeline, color coded, and more. The multiple categories support Hansen’s point that time can be thought of in another way.
Overall, I thought the project was successful because Hansen was able to present time in multiple visuals that the user can go through. However, the timeline was confusing to navigate and a clearer explanation would have helped clarify what the user is looking at.