One Minute of Silence

In this project I bring together two cultural expressions to create a visual statement that looks to discuss our place in today’s unsettled and fragile world.

Throughout many different faiths and religions, the lighting of a candle is associated with prayer and reflection, while the act of remaining silent for a moment in time is a universally accepted way of showing respect for someone, or in remembrance of a particular event in history.

Also, throughout history and in different cultures the lit candle has been used as a device for measuring and keeping track of time and with all these reference points in mind I take a piece of white paper and in silence, I gently move the sheet of paper over the naked flame of a candle, to create a drawing in exactly sixty seconds.

The enclosed, signed, One Minute of Silence drawing is an original work in its own right, but conceptually it is also part of a wider, more far reaching initiative. This drawing relates to other timed candle smoke drawings which are either on display or in collections in different places around the globe, to collectively create hours and potentially even days of silence.

Eric Snell