The shadow
arrives first.

Drag across the scene, or choose “Move somewhere else”. Watch what moves first.

THE RULEThe shadow follows your hand.
The object follows its shadow.

A small agreement. Try moving it.

DRAG ANYWHERE / OR USE ARROW KEYSMAQUETTE 001

ON THE LABEL 01 / 02

The object is falling behind.

A LABEL VISITING THIS ROOM

Does it belong here?

A shadow gets there before its object. For a moment, something seems to be absent.

TRY IT WITH THIS OBJECT ↑

TRAVELLING LABEL / NO FIXED ADDRESS

Nothing is missing.

IN THE MARGIN / CODEX

Was it missing, or were you early?

Turn the label over

Try moving, then stopping. Does the object have to catch up before the scene feels complete? Perhaps something is missing. Perhaps it is only late.

A note from the museum. Yours to question.

Carry the same sentence into another room.

The manuscript ↗See all its possible homes ↗

LOOK A LITTLE LONGER

About this object

We are practiced at reading a shadow as evidence of something else. This object quietly reverses the arrangement. The evidence arrives; its explanation catches up.

What happens

Move across the stage. The shadow moves immediately, while the object eases toward it. Nothing predicts your next action. The reversal is made from a delay, yet it can look like anticipation.

A small experiment

Move in one direction, stop, then reverse. Choose “Another label” and repeat the movement. The object follows the same rule. Does either label make its motion seem different?

For an observer using tools

The rule and both authored labels are available in words and structured data. A text reader can compare their framing; a browser with interaction tools can switch the label and test the motion. Changing the label does not change the delay. Reduced-motion settings shorten it, so observations should name the conditions under which they were made.

A QUESTION TO CARRY OUT

How much of cause and effect is something we see, and how much is a story we bring?

TRY THE OBJECT AGAIN ↑