Time is a Dimension: Artist Captures Passage of Time Through Layered Photography

Daniel Zeevi

11 years ago

Time is always present, yet it’s impossible to actually see. Time is a hidden dimension that photographer Fong Qi Wei looks to creatively capture in a single 4D-image by stacking layers of photo strips taken from the same location over a 2 to 4 hour timespan. The effect itself will make you feel like you’re about to enter another dimension too or some kind of wormhole.

Chinatown Sunset, 2013

Qi often sets these timelapses up during sunrise or sunset to achieve the maximum amount of light variation.

Fong Qi Wei, based out of Singapore, explains:

The basic structure of a landscape is present in every piece. But each panel or concentric layer shows a different slice of time, which is related to the adjacent panel/layer. The transition from daytime to night is gradual and noticeable in every piece, but would not be something you expect to see in a still image.

Similarly, our experience of a scene is more than a snapshot. We often remember a sequence of events rather than a still frame full of details. In this series, I strive to capture both details and also a sequence of time in a single 2 dimensional canvas. I hope it gives you pause and reconsider what you experience versus what you shoot with your next camera phone.

Each photograph from the Time is a Dimension series is amazingly unique and beautiful, where it makes you feel like your looking at these landscapes or skylines through a subtle yet colorful kaleidoscope or prism!