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About the Countdown Levee Countdown Levee is a visual study of time erosion. The starting and ending times, that are submitted through a form, are passed on to the Countdown Levee and translated visually into water bars that show the amount of time remaining. Like real world levees, this countdown water clock will function by giving water to the volume that is less by taking water from the higher volume. In the case of this clock, an empty bar takes from a more concentrated unit of time to replenish itself when it is depleted. For example, if seconds reaches the bottom, it takes a unit of one minute to replenish itself. The process is repeated in the other time bars whenever a bar needs to be refreshed with a larger unit of time. Each column is dependent on one another for water or time. The following scheme is the basis for the levee relationship:
The only column that cannot replenish itself is the years column. Once all the years, months, days, hours, minutes, and seconds are depleted, the water clock ceases to function. The passage of time itself moves onward with or without us, leaving our lives, objectives, and opportunities intractably behind. What time we have left is limited and our careful use of it depends on our actions. It is my hope that Countdown Levee will be fun and useful, but most of all, I hope that it will make us all more aware of the precious time that remains. By Kenneth Willes II, MFA. |
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| A screen shot of the Countdown Levee in action. Each column represents a certain unit of time and counts down accordingly. |
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| Before the water levels are calculated, information is gathered from input fields. This information will then generate the appropriate water levels in the Countdown Levee. |
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