Folding Time and Space...

...Around a Markov Blanket

from Google AI

Gilles Deleuze’s "time crystal" (or crystal-image) is a concept from his book Cinema 2: The Time-Image where the actual present and the virtual past endlessly reflect and exchange roles, making the hidden structure of time directly visible. [1, 2]

What is a Time Crystal?

The Split of Time: Deleuze says time does not move in a straight line. When a present moment happens, it splits into two paths at once: one part moves forward as the actual present, while the other is saved away as the virtual past. [1, 2, 3]
Actual and Virtual: The actual (what is real right now) and the virtual (memory, the past, or the imaginary) mirror each other like a person looking into a mirror. They swap places so you can no longer easily tell what is real and what is a memory or dream. [1, 2]
Direct Vision of Time: In older movies (the movement-image), time was only shown indirectly through physical movement. In the crystal-image, cinema captures time-in-itself floating or standing still. [1, 2]

Types of Crystals of Time

Deleuze outlines different states or variations of these temporal structures in film: [1, 2]

The Perfect Crystal: An exchange where the actual and virtual image become totally indistinguishable, forming a closed, shimmering loop.
The Flawed Crystal: A fractured mirror where the passage of time breaks down unevenly.
The Crystal of Seeds: A concentrated point from which new virtual futures or alternative realities can sprout.
The Decaying Crystal: A structure collapsing inward, showing erosion, trauma, or the breakdown of a world.