two 16mm film projections from either side of the screen, 6' 51" and 4' 24"

Their Own Sweet Time, literally holds images from the FOMU collection up to the light. You are looking at two images, projected on one screen, on top of one another. From one side of the screen hands and the other old colour photographs are projected, making it seem as if these remarkable images are held by the hands of the museum. This expresses not only the desire to preserve collection items, but also their intangible nature. The images are
autochromes: early 20th-century colour photographs. Affluent amateur photographers capture the luxury of their leisure activities in dreamy and intimate moments. You are watching their hobbies, gardens and dress-up games with a romantic, often theatrical appeal. Autochromes can only be viewed using a light box, or by holding them up against the sunlight. However, prolonged exposure to light will cause the images to fade: the act of viewing them will lead to their destruction. For this reason, the museum only exhibits reproductions of its autochromes. Their Own Sweet Time highlights precisely this tension between the preservation of unique items and the wish to make them publicly visible and accesible.

Special thanks to Ingrid Leonard and Sonia Mutaganzwa