Spencer Chang: everyday

Time, often perceived as a relentless forward march, is reimagined in everyday by Spencer Chang. This participatory code-based artwork asks us to rethink time not as something that controls us, but as something we shape—by inviting us to reclaim moments of the day through simple, playful gestures. Inspired by the quiet ritualism of On Kawara’s calendar paintings and the tangible daily turnover of tear-off calendars, everyday elevates our usual, mundane interactions with our phones into meaningful rituals woven into the rhythm of each day.

Through hourly prompts that mirror the natural transitions of our 24-hour day, Chang creates digital poems—brief, evocative invitations to play with our devices in new, physical ways. In response, everyday transforms participants’ movements into a visual poem capturing fleeting gestures as lasting marks of time. Playful, intimate, and sometimes absurd, the prompts in everyday—cradling, tracing, spinning, or even protecting a device—slow the rhythm of digital engagement, offering a moment of pause within an otherwise continuous flow of information. These gestures, archived indefinitely on Artlab’s website, become part of a larger, collective composition, reflecting Chang’s ongoing exploration of technology as a tool for communal flourishing.

This project redefines how we perceive time, as well as how we inhabit and shape it together. Chang’s practice is defined by a whimsical intimacy with technology—one that mirrors our own closeness to our phones, which we hold in our hands, against our faces, and in our pockets as constant companions. everyday extends that intimacy beyond the personal, transforming solitary gestures into a shared yet unseen choreography. In this way, everyday creates a space to pause, reflect, and recognize that being online is not just solitary, but inherently communal. As we shape time through movement, we remind ourselves that even in digital spaces, connection persists—alone, together, and in motion.