ABSTRACT
Multiple dynamic temporalities are an overarching theme of the Narrative Objects project. The juxtaposition of the past, present and future becomes tangible when thinking about the journey the carved mammoth tusk model made from Yakutsk to Europe at the end of the nineteenth century and its return to Yakutsk from London some 150 years later. First, the time-space dimensions became literal and physical when considering the fragility of the object for arranging its transportation and ensuring the right conditions for its display. Second, a temporal effect this carved model from the past has produced on the contemporary artistic community in Sakha and younger generation of carvers. As we have noted elsewhere in this book, Rebecca Bryant's (2014) thought-provoking article on time and the movement of personal objects in post-conflict Cyprus resonates with many of the themes which emerged from our work. She discusses what she refers to as the ‘lifespan’ of objects and argues that they do not only encapsulate the past and carry it into the present, but they also bring out multiple temporalities of our relations with the past, present and future. Objects accumulate and present different accounts of the time of various actors: human, animal or material. They do not only gather but also help unravel these different temporal accounts and time-space connections (Schatzki 2009).
