Future Time is comprised of photographs from four groupings of Christopher Sheils’ Time series, loosely titled Time is an Illusion, More Time, Extra Time, and Full Time. The primary theme of these groupings is duality and each grouping reflects a stylistic development from Photomontage to Surrealism.

Each image is a blended combination of two or more images designed to exploit the limitations of the brain’s visual perception. The brain’s response when confronted with two possible realities is to either fluctuate between realities or merge the realities into a plausible unreality. Each image is partially discernible and identifiable on its own but not simultaneously. When viewed together, the brain attempts to synthesize the data to form an alternate coherent reality or remains unresolved in visual conflict.

Thematically, the images reflect a broader view of our society, indicative of the ways in which perception constructs lived reality and the notion that each person’s “reality” is in fact a person’s individual impression. The images become metaphors for the diverse opinions and beliefs that ultimately lead to social discord and misunderstanding.