Greetings

Time does not exist; it is a human construct; an idea or projection for a sensation of a string of moments that we call duration or time. This sensation is »neither neutral nor objective« as Fatin Abbas states in her essay »Black Time.« »Time is experienced, valued, and used differently depending on culture, history, and political context.« The perception of time is based on different value systems and creates – if these systems’ diversity is not acknowledged – immeasurable misunderstandings, which may then even lead to conflicts.

Acknowledging different perceptions of time is central in a process of decolonization. While the industrial-capitalist monochromatic perception of time is associated and defined with aspects of economic activity and places the individual at the center, the polychromatic perception of time foregrounds creative work and the connection of people and the environment.

Being aware of these different approaches and questioning a universal reckoning and definition of time is central in a process in which power relations are critically questioned. In times of transformation and constant change, new perspectives on the relationship to time can be revealed or even new models for dealing with time can emerge.

I would like to thank Fatin Abbas and Dzekashu MacViban for the inspiring conversation that gave rise to the idea for this journal. Many thanks to MacViban for his profound work as editor of this edition of the Solitude Journal, and to Denise Helene Sumi and Jazmina Figueroa from the Digital Solitude program as well as the entire team at Akademie Schloss Solitude. Many thanks to all authors of this issue for their contributions.