How much can you really say in 3 minutes and 17 seconds? Especially when tackling big ideas like transdisciplinary collaboration or interdisciplinary approaches? 3’17” is a satirical response to the overuse of such buzzwords in the contemporary artistic landscape. In an art world where terms like these are constantly thrown around, what happens when we ask what they actually mean? Can artists, researchers, and theorists truly collaborate across disciplines, or are these just words that sound impressive on paper?
Through a mix of sound art, video art, and podcasting, 3’17” sets out to explore these questions — while poking fun at the very discourse it critiques. The project engages 9 visual artists, 9 researchers, and 3 sound artists, placing them in a weird experiment where they collaborate “in the blind.” None of the participants knew what the others were working on, turning the very notion of collaboration on its head. The result? A collection of hybrid works that capture the beauty and chaos of crossing boundaries — without relying on overhyped jargon.
Each video work, sound piece, and podcast session follows the strict time frame of 3 minutes and 17 seconds, a nod to the digital age’s bite-sized content (also the average length of a song on Spotify). While this constraint reflects the urgency of modern communication, it also asks a deeper question: can truly complex ideas fit within such tight confines?