Imaging the seasons: objects and the almanac form

Referring to my almanac projects, this essay speculates on how we may image the seasons through the use of objects and the almanac form. I argue that the ambiguities and uncertainties objects hold within images open up an area for speculations; an arena that illuminates ‘profane existence’ of everyday experience as an ‘enigmatic form of something [that is] beyond [their] existence.’ I begin by exploring the almanac form as a tool for mapping experiences in the context of science and art with a specific focus on the ancient Chinese almanac. I use Walter Benjamin’s Denkbild (thought-image) as a framework to analyse the almanac projects, revealing the roles of objects within images. In doing so, I seek to realise images’ potential to illuminate subjective everyday experiences.