Christopher Martin’s
They Are So Consumed by Time That They Have Forgotten Eternity (2025) stands as one of his most philosophically expansive works — a reflection on humanity’s preoccupation with the finite, and the quiet amnesia that obscures the infinite. The piece features a white scroll pierced by a single black arrow, emblazoned with the phrase:
“
THEY ARE SO CONSUMED BY TIME THAT THEY HAVE FORGOTTEN ETERNITY.”
With his characteristic precision and restraint, Martin transforms this simple statement into a meditative confrontation with modern consciousness. The arrow, his recurring motif, acts as both interruption and awakening — a visual metaphor for awareness striking through distraction. Its piercing gesture freezes a moment of revelation, as if eternity itself has punctured the illusion of linear time.
Visually, the composition is stark yet deeply emotive. The black text, set in Martin’s rounded, hand-rendered type, resonates with rhythmic gravity, each word spaced for contemplation. The scroll’s slight curl and the shadow cast by the arrow introduce movement and depth, symbolizing the ongoing dance between transience and permanence.
Conceptually, the work articulates Martin’s enduring dialogue with presence and impermanence. It critiques the relentless measurement of life — schedules, progress, deadlines — and instead points toward the unquantifiable vastness of being. In doing so, it echoes spiritual and philosophical traditions that view eternity not as endless time, but as timelessness itself: a state of pure awareness untouched by change.
They Are So Consumed by Time That They Have Forgotten Eternity distills this vision into elegant clarity. It is both caution and reminder — that in chasing the clock, we risk losing the eternal moment already here. Through its refined simplicity and contemplative resonance, the work embodies Martin’s mission: to use art as a still point, where thought dissolves and timelessness reveals itself.
