THE GRANDMOTHER CLOCK BY MAARTEN BAAS

A project that takes the grandfather clock to a more literal level

As Chaplin pointed out, in our modern era, time seems to have lost its essence. Constantly running around, constantly late, trying to keep up with the latest news, we have lost track of it.

This is perhaps what Dutch designer Maarten Baas is trying to point out with his Grandmother Clock and, more generally, with his Real Time series. After the success of the Grandfather Clock, Baas was commissioned by Carpenters Workshop Gallery to make another version of his idea.

The Dutch designer revisits the traditional grandfather clock through a simple concept. He films an actual grandmother drawing the hands of the clock on a transparent panel then erasing and rewriting the minute hand every minute for 12 hours! The video is then played inside a clock. Maarten told us the hardest task of the project was to keep both the grandmother and grandfather quiet for so long!

To some extent, the project might look like a vain attempt to materialize and hold onto something which constantly escapes us. In the end, that might be what scares us the most: time running away from us. At least Baas’ interpretation helps us laugh at our fears!

Check out what he told us about it: