Present continuous past(s) -Dan Graham

The mirrors reflect present time. The video camera tapes what is immediately in front of it and the entire refelction on the opposite mirrored wall.

the image seen by the camera(refelcting everything in the room) appears eight seconds later on the video monitor(via a tape delay placed between the video recorder which is recording and a second video recorder which is playing the recording back).
If a viewer's body does not directly obscure the lens's view of the facing mirror, the camera tapes the reflection of the room and the reflected image of the monitor(which shows the time recorded eight seconds previously). A person viewing the monitor sees both the image of himself eight seconds ago, and what was reflected on the mirror from the monitor eight seconds ago of himself, whcih is sixteen seconds in the past( because the camera view of eight seconds prior was playing back on the monitor eight seconds age, and this was reflected on the monitor along with the then present reflection of the viewer.) An infinite regress of time continuums within time continuums (always separated by eight second intervals) within time continuums is created.

The mirror at right angles to the other mirror-wall and to the monitor wall gives a present-time view of the installation as if observed from an "objective" vantage exterior to the viewer's subjective experience and to the mechanism that produces the piece's perceptual effect. It simply reflects(statically) present time.

The length of the mirrors and their distance from the cameras are such that each of the opposing mirrors reflects the opposite side (half) of the enclosing room (and also the reflection of an observer within the area, who is viewing the monior/mirror image.)

Each of the videotaped camera views is continously displayed five seconds later, appearing on the monitor of the opposite area. Mirror A frelects the present surroundings and the delayed image projected on Monitor A. Monitor A shows Mirror B five seconds ago, the opposite side's view of Area A. Similarly, Mirror A contains the opposite side;'s view of Area B.

A spectator in Area A (or Area B), looking in the direction of the mirror, sees: 1) a conatinuous present-time reflection of his surrounding space; 2) himself as observer; 3)on the reflected monitor image, five seconds in the past, his area as seen by the mirror of the opposite area.

A spectator in Area A turned to face Monitor A, will see both the reflection of Area A as it appeared in Mirror B five seconds earlier and , on a reduced scale, Area A reflected in Mirror B now.