The Flat Circle: On Jenny Odell’s “Saving Time”
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Loading... - Lola James
- 09 Mar 2023
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IN DECEMBER of last year, I stumbled upon an Instagram post from a relatively popular user called gendersauce. The post, which had thousands of likes, was advertising a class called “Start Again,” which promised to “help you process the ‘New Year,’ setting resolutions, and moving out of capitalist shame.” While the first few slides provided logistical information, the later ones pontificated more generally on the concepts of new year’s resolutions, personal renewal, and change. The last four slides read, poetically:
You get to start over infinite times.
Anywhere on a circle can be a beginning.
Anywhere on a circle can be an ending.
You can change. You cannot become someone you are not. Yes!
Each slide on gendersauce’s post was accompanied by an image of an ouroboros, a figure of a snake curved into a circle in an attempt to eat its own tail. The image, which originates from Egyptian folklore and dates as far back as 13th century BC, is meant to refer to the movements of time, which the Egyptians understood to be cyclical rather than linear. Because snakes regularly shed their old skin, they are often seen as a symbol of rebirth and renewal. In the ancient Egyptian calendar, the flooding of the Nile in the summer marked the beginning of the year: the water’s waves would wash the old years away and create a new slate for the days to come. The ouroboros, encompassing both the snake and the circle, therefore makes the perfect symbol for infinite second chances; an ideal image for an anxious yet hopeful doomscroller to view before the clock strikes midnight and we promise to better ourselves in the coming year. Read More..
