The Suspended Time

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On January 29, 2020, arriving at Los Angeles airport to fly to Paris, Jean-Pierre Houdin is surprised to see hundreds of passengers arriving from Asia, all wearing masks over their faces - the first indication that something unusual is happening on the other side of the Pacific.

 

At the beginning of February 2020, Hany Helal sends an e-mail to ScanPyramids team members to set a date for a working meeting in Paris towards the end of March; in the end, the dates chosen are March 26 and 27. New data are expected from the equipment installed in the Grand Gallery, the voids above the King's Chamber and the subterranean chamber.

 

On March 16, the health situation linked to the recently declared COVID-19 pandemic deteriorates dramatically, leading to the first general lockdown in France. For the ScanPyramids mission, this is the beginning of a period of uncertainty, the first casualty being the cancellation of the working meeting at the end of March. At the time, no one could imagine what would happen in the future, as the pandemic is becoming global.

 

The suspended time slowly, but surely, stretches out as the successive "waves" of aggression from a virus in perpetual mutation are becoming endless. Jean-Pierre Houdin starts to think that for the ScanPyramids mission, an era is over, and that its future is no longer assured, so closely is it tied to the end of the pandemic. That said, an intellectual watch is still productive, accompanied by a few quick sketches here and there.

 

In Egypt, the equipment installed in the pyramid waits patiently for the teams to return, the site being closed.