bina baitel's lash clock gently strokes passing time

shifting between a meditative sculpture and a device, the lash clock by multidisciplinary french artist bina baitel offers an intriguing experience in the perception of time. numbers, clock hands and ticking sounds all together disappear in this eery timepiece mural, allowing us to contemplate time rather than endure it.

lash clock
video courtesy of bina baitel

bina baitel’s lash clock appears like an indefinite and static object at first but if one takes a closer look, slight movements become visible — like the beat of an eyelash. indeed, fibers can be seen straightening up by slowly moving away from one another. gently brushing time, this sculptural device also fills the practical everyday clock function of reading time. in other words, minutes can be read thanks to the gap created by fibers that move every second while hours are marked by a slightly wider gap created by these eyelash-like strings. 

the lash clock is on show at the museum complex of grand-hornu in belgium, as part of the ‘telling time’ exhibition running from january 22 to april 30, 2017. featured artists all bring in a fresh perspective when it comes to the traditional craft of watchmaking and the typical perception of time. this exhibition is curated by the museum of contemporary design and applied arts (MUDAC) in lausanne.

the time is shown through the gap between fibers

detail of tie-dye hair clock: fibers straighten up every second

blue tie-dye version

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lea zeitoun | designboom