Concerning Diachronic/Synchronic Time: Above, On, Under (with Mermaid), 1976

In Concerning Diachronic/Synchronic Time: Above, On, Under (with Mermaid), Baldessari presents a set of images that, as the title suggests, demonstrates the concepts of diachronicity (events unfolding over time) and synchronicity (events happening at once). Seen as two vertical columns, Baldessari’s grid shows two moments of apparent synchronicity: an airplane and a bird fly above the ocean, below which divers explore and a mermaid frolics. When seen horizontally—ostensibly the diachronic axis—the central pairing shows a motorboat moving across the water, yet the other two pairs make no such straightforward narrative illustration of “before” and “after.” Rather, they are conceptual analogues: flying things and swimming things. Each pair, in fact, suggests synchronic coexistence, but may also (diachronically) suggest the possibility of surprising encounters, if they are understood to be approaching one other. This kind of wry, witty play with semiotics is a hallmark of Baldessari’s enormously influential work.