meike harde creates a dancing wall clock for klein & more

meike harde creates a dancing wall clock for klein & more
photo © baemstudios
all images courtesy of meike harde

made for german brand klein & more, ‘time is dancing’ by meike harde is a wall clock that uses the art of movement to change the way in which moments of the day are perceived. the typical notion is for time to be shown in a purely graphical manner with numbers and rectilinear components organized along planar surfaces. on such devices, hours, minutes, and even days can go by in a quite impersonal way. thus, the first things we think of when we see a clock are upcoming appointments and the permanent pressure that we are subjected to as the hands rotate around the seemingly short circumference. but time is more than that.

time is displayed by the body and leg of a dancing figure
photo © baemstudios 

combatting the common consensus, this appliance wants observers to make alternative associations. on the one hand, it makes the motion of time visible, but beyond that it wants to mirror the fragility of all that is in constant change. the creation withdraws from the empty visuals of its predecessors and offers a symbolized view of time.

clockwork is hidden behind a milled ash-disc
photo © baemstudios

the ballerina shows utmost concentration by keeping her balance upon a stable supporting leg as she appears to be twisting herself into uncomfortable poses or move her figure along with ease. her separated acrylic body forms the hour hand and the minute hand so that at times she begins to perform a jump, spin into a pirouette or flex into the splits. the concept does not primarily follow an aesthetic-functional approach. instead, its metaphorical design tries to introduce poetry into an everyday item and to throw a contemplative glance at the temporal nature of time by means of an eternally young ballerina.

01:25 o’clock
photo © baemstudios

10:15 o’clock
photo © baemstudios

the body of the ballerina is the hour hand
photo © baemstudios

acrylic and ash construct the creation
photo © baemstudios

when looking at the clock, one no longer sees a combination of numbers and lines, but a snapshot of a dancing figure

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.