Why does ‘when’ matter: Interview with Silke Ackermann
The Chaucer Astrolabe
One question worth asking is ‘why does when matter’? How do different cultures approach time? How do they make different aspects of time work for them for social, political or religious reasons?
It’s good to remind ourselves that time isn’t just a given thing – it’s always an agreement between people. Every calendar we use is just an agreement. We may follow a calendar based on the sun or the moon, or arrange our day by regular or seasonal hours. A calendar is also a political tool. Even the Gregorian calendar was very much debated when it was first introduced. The Bishopric of Strasbourg introduced it in 1583, but the City of Strasbourg didn’t accept it until nearly 100 years later.
In many societies time is entirely dictated by cycles of nature. For example, groups of North American people migrated with the caribou, and that set their whole pace of life. You can see this in objects in the British Museum’s collections like the lovely arrow-shaft straightener in the North American gallery, made in the shape of a foetal caribou, and engraved with scenes of the migration and hunting of caribou which reflects the understanding of time in their society.
In Europe, time has of course a lot to do with economic pressure – the precision of time ties in with trade, ships, cargo coming back safely. The whole Industrial Revolution wouldn’t have been possible without the precision of time, and that’s one reason it happened in Europe. When we look at other societies there is a basic perception that we’re superior when it comes to time, and we forget the negative aspects. We are driven by our precision – the idea of the ‘leap second’ comes from this striving to be precise.
London is a very speedy city –I didn’t grow up in London and I’m aware that when I’m in London I speed up. When I have visitors to London they notice that I behave differently here. I get twitchy at people walking slowly on Oxford Street, or people who don’t have their Oystercard ready entering the Underground. But in fact I don’t believe I’m quicker at all when I rush, and it’s sad when I realise I’m not taking the time to look right or left. London can have a very negative effect on people.
The best thing for slowing down is to stop and look up – taking the time to look at a beautiful star when I leave the Museum for the evening. It’s worth taking the time to ‘stand and stare’ a bit more often.
Silke Ackermann is a cultural historian at the British Museum. She will be one of the speakers in the British Museum’s panel discussion Why does when matter: A cultural perspective on the pressures of time’ taking place on 1 May as part of Slow Down London.
Image: Chaucer Astrolabe AD 1326 ©The Trustees of the British Museum
