Time Spiral T-shirt
Designed by Christophe Clarijs and Shimmer
Printed by Groenewas
Price: 30 euros (inc VAT, not shipping)
Sizes: Medium and Large
(email shimmershimmerpress@gmail.com to purchase)
Shimmer is pleased to announce a series of publications in the form of t-shirts, to be released over the next 12 months. These designs emerge from research and writings that didn't find their place in other projects—words edited out yet too precious to let slip away. We wanted to wear these quotes, carry them with us, and proudly display them.
Our first shirt explores themes related to the Time Spiral, temporal softness, justice, and memory. Time is the only true commodity we universally share; without it, what remains?
We began with a time spiral graphic on the front of the shirt—initially a simple representation of the days of the week. Yet, as a friend noted, "It's a map of the menstrual cycle!" For far too long, discussing periods was taboo. The countless instances when fellow bleeders have apologized to non-bleeders for including them in conversations about menstruation cannot be overstated. Thankfully, we now live in a different era—one where knowledge is empowering. Understanding the bleeding body and hormonal cycles benefits everyone.
In this spirit, we might imagine Lao Tzu advising, "Softness over hardness."
We also consider other dimensions of time—resting time, productive time, hormonal time, lunar time, and, of course, studio time. Returning to the studio introduces us to a unique temporal experience, distinct from conventional work time. This idea resonates with Barry H. Gillespie’s reflection, applicable equally to meditation and studio practices: "The path isn’t a straight line; it’s a spiral. You continually come back to things you thought you understood and see deeper truths."
Time accelerates and slows; our personal time may pause, yet time itself remains infinite (there's time beyond our own existence). Memory, as sages suggest, resembles reincarnation. Could this be the genuine form of time travel we seek? By recalling, speaking about, and honoring our ancestors, we bridge past and present. As Yosef Hayim Yerushalmi expressed, "The antonym of 'forgetting' is not 'remembering,' but justice." Is repair another form of time travel? Yes—undoubtedly—as the prefix 're' implies a return, a folding over, a homecoming to doing what's right, what's needed. That’s why there’s no ‘re’ in yearning; we haven't yet arrived where we need to be. We yearn for a future where justice might become obsolete.
Timeshifting and the collapsing of the spiral are articulated through the hand-drawn clock often employed in Alzheimer's tests. Timeshifting reshapes memories to create meaning in the present, making it appear as though one is living in the past. A 3 where a 6 should be—a clock disintegrating—raises the question: if the clock falls apart, what time are we left with? This is the kind of time Hélène Cixous urges us to engage with, the time of ‘Anticipation as Imperative’ just beyond the horizon: our yearning to anticipate another day.
You can wear your shirt anywhere, of course (who are we to dictate fashion choices?). Yet, we believe it is best worn during sleep—in that deep, liquid space of sleep time, insomnia, broken time, repair, and in moments when the past gently folds itself into the present, better equipping us for the future,
see you in the folds,
Shimmer, when all you love is being trashed.
