WebTime is an on-going look into the temporal character of the World Wide Web. As a project, it derives from a hypothesis of the web as a performative or cinematic cultural event, one with a distinct beginning, a rich history, and a dynamic present, all of which can be captured and rendered into watchable or otherwise more consumable media experiences. As a body of work, WebTime begins to pose and explore questions relating to how a time-based web might be navigated, captured and consumed, and how it may be possible, through the lens of time, to gain an understanding of the greater web, its role as a cultural platform, and our place within it. To this end, WebTime suggests a kind of cosmological understanding of the web, one within which Tim Berners-Lee plays creator, and all time is measured from the date of the web’s invention.

WebTime embodies my belief that concepts of temporality, and performance specifically, will play an increasing role in how we make sense of the networked media landscape, and it is my hope that this project serves as a catalyst for continued conversation and further design development. Comments and inquiries welcome.

Chris Lauritzen
MFA Candidate, Spring 2010
Media Design Program, Art Center College of Design

More work at http://metaform.net.