Meditative Clocks
Meditative Clocks is an art collection, made purely with computer code (some refer to this art form as DevArt,
'Dev' being shorthand for developer/programer).
Each piece can be displayed on any digital screen (from Smartwatch to Times Square billboard), or projected unto
any surface — please see illustrations and explanations on each piece under Clocks.
All models are for sale as are, or if you please — customized, for a tailored experience, and to up its
collector's value (purchasing a one of a kind piece, or a limited edition collection).
To discuss purchasing options, or if you have any questions, please contact
me.
How this project came into being
Meditative Clocks was born out of a simple programming exercise — build a clock. I thought about it for a while,
figured out a way to do it, but then thought to myself — wouldn't it be more interesting to build something
unique? Everybody gets
the same task and comes up with the same answer — a textbook definition of a clock. The first 'unique' clock
that
came to my mind wasn't radically unique. It was simply an Hourglass. I set about programming it, and gradually
it
became more and
more abstract. So much so, that the 'Present' — the flowing sand, usually — disappeared altogether. I liked the
result. Made it able to flip like a real world Hourglass, and was very proud of myself (this was one of the
first
things I
programmed). It was a one-minute-timer-conceptual-hourglass.
I progressed to making an entire clock out of that one minute timer — Abstract Hourglass. And then kept adding
new
models, each with its own unique take on Time. Semi-linear clock, where no moment is ever the same as another;
The
Ebb and Flow
of Time, which is, as far as I know, the most minimalistic clock ever created; Universe clock, which shows, on a
logarithmic scale, the time since the big bang till now, and the time left till the end of time... ; Present,
Past
and Future,
which breaks the traditional trichotomy of these concepts in a way more compatible with the time of the mind;
and
Serendipity on Demand, which is an advanced mindfulness tool.
More models will be created!
Each model can be customized, although I find them perfect out of the box too ;)
If you'd like a customized version, please contact me.
Innovating on a technology as old as man — timekeeping — isn't trivial at all, If I may say so myself. That
wasn't
my original aim — I just wanted a more engaging creative challenge than just programming 'a watch' — but I'm
glad
I got carried
away. While working on these clocks, hypnotized by them for hours, I mused a lot about the nature of time, and
how
intimately our conception of time is linked to our conception of life itself.
These clocks are dynamic pieces of art. Timeless. You can spend an eternity with them and never get tired
(speaking from experience).
So, which one would you like?
Present past and future
Our subjective grasp of time is very different, often, probably most of the time, from the rigid, conventional representation of time. A subjective moment is very different from an objective second, or minute. Also, the rigid trichotomy between past, present and future doesn't apply to the mind. In our minds we wonder between those freely. Note that in this watch the past and future are also present, as an homage to this phenomenon of subjective time, or time of the mind, which is also your own personal time. No one else will have the same daily past and future pattern on their watch, though the present will be the same for everybody. You'll have to keep an eye on the watch to catch the past or future resurface or surface and then fade away again.
The Ebb and Flow of Time
Probably the most minimalistic clock ever made. Time is represented by a single circle, which, at intervals of twelve hours, either expands or contracts. While expanding it gets weaker and weaker, and vice versa. At both extremes (12am, 12pm) it is completely black.
Semi-linear Clock
The seconds, minutes and hours are progressing randomly, though always to their usual total of 60 or 24. This means that, literally, every moment is unique, never repeating itself.
Serendipity (on demand)
Serendipity is the happy discovery of something you weren't even looking for. Many scientific discoveries,
for
instance, are said to originate in serendipity. There's no need to leave this phenomenon entirely to chance,
though. There are
many ingenious ways to get serendipity "on demand". How you connect unconnected dots, is the essence of the
thing, how your mind turns chaos to order, how you make sense of things. Each time you do that you get an
invaluable insight, one
which you could not have get in any other way. People have invented many ingenious ways to invoke this sort of
serendipity on demand. Freud's psychoanalysis has much of that, Tarot cards, stripped from all mysticism is
just
that, lateral
thinking techniques, and so on.
You will hear a special sound, twice or three times (up to you), every 24 hours. You know that there
will be two or three sounds per day, but you don't know when exactly they will occur during the day. It is set
to random and changes
daily. The sounds, then, connect moments in your life that without the sounds wouldn't have been connected; at
least not in any way other than the ordinary one which you are used to, and, in a sense, are limited by. This
is
a playful way to
transcend those limitations, a temporary opening to another dimension, to a new meta-perspective each day. Now
what more can you possibly want from a watch?
Abstract Hourglass
This one is self-explanatory.
Universe Clock
The small triangle is time passed since the Big Bang. The large triangle is time left till the end of time, until the universe freezes, or collapses, or burns out, depending on which theory you adopt. The scale is logarithmic (log of 10), because there's no other way to depict such magnitude of numbers. This means that the next "pixel" in the clock will appear in 86,200,000,000 years, as the age of the universe is currently estimated at 13.8 billion years. The pixel after that will appear at the year 1,000,000,000,000, and the next one at 10,000,000,000,000, and so on. Each time raising to the power of ten. The big triangle will be full when the universe's age reaches 10 to the power of 1000, which is the end of time and the beginning of who knows — the big triangle is open.