The Refusal of Time (2012)

First exhibited at dOCUMENTA (13), the five-channel video installation The Refusal of Time is one of Kentridge’s best known works. A five-channel video surrounds viewers and the mechanical “elephant” installation breathing at its center. This work, which grew out of a dialogue with historian of science Peter Galison, probes the origin of geographical time zones brought on by the proliferation of telecommunication cables, beginning in nineteenth-century Paris with the use of steam—itself reminiscent of breath, a human clock of sorts—to (imperfectly) standardize city clocks. Philip Miller is composer of the music and soundscape. Catherine Meyburgh is responsible for the video editing and construction. Dada Masilo is responsible for the choreography and dance.