T R AC ES o f T I M E
DOCUMENTATION BA PROJECT OBJECT DESIGN 2022
LEAH MARTZ
CONTENTS Introduction 4 Research 5 Time-Proofed 5 24 Hours 6 4 in 3 10 Wax Structures 12 Design 15 Immersed 16 Calm and Chaos
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Merging Time 30 Reflection
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Acknowledgments 41
INTRODUCTION Topic and work method How can the experience of time be translated into an object? The project Traces of Time is an interplay between installation, art and design. Using one of humanity’s most ancient forms of time measuring, the project depicts the passing of time through the impermanence of burning candles. Time is everywhere, stops for no one and each of us has their own relationship to time. The viewer is invited to take a moment, to engage with time, watch it pass, unfold and disappear. Using a conceptual approach to design, the main objects of the project fade into memory and only traces remain. My work process was spilt into two main phases: the research phase and the design phase. In the research phase, I concentrated on finding out what the perception and experience of time meant for me. I realised early on that with such a broad topic and concept that it could be easy to get lost. I therefore, planned 3 specific time experiments (in addition to my general material and academic research) where I aimed to experience and inhabit time differently, with each experiment having a different goal.
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RESEARCH Time-Proofed For my first experiment, I attempted to go a working week without looking at any form of time. Time-proofing my surroundings proved to be extremely difficult. On my phone, for example, there is no setting which allowed me to remove the time, so I used small pieces of tape to cover it. In order to keep my knowledge of what the time was to a minimum, I limited myself to checking my messages (on WhatsApp) once per day since each message has a timestamp (which cannot be removed). I navigated my day-to-day life by observing the sun and social cues. For example, I could accurately judge (mostly) when it was midday due to the majority of people getting up and leaving for lunch. On the first day of the experiment, there was an incident where I accidently caught a glimpse of the time. I had forgotten to cover the clocks in the kitchen at my university and as I entered the kitchen my eyes were habitually drawn to the clock on the oven. This problem was easily solved with another piece of tape. Throughout the week, however, I became extremely sensitised to the many forms of time telling cues which surrounded me. This in turn naturally led to me observe my surroundings with heightened consideration. As a result, seemingly insignificant timetelling forms were brought to light.
I kept a diary where I noted observations, feelings and thoughts. During the first two days I was extremely anxious and often caught myself picking up my phone or looking at the top right corner of my laptop out of habit. As the week went on, I felt myself letting go and accepting not knowing the time. I found myself having what felt like more time and I was surprised as to how well I orientated my day to day life without constantly knowing the time. In connection to my work, I was at first unsure if I was putting in enough hours, but after two days I learned to trust myself and follow my gut feeling. My work days were not orientated around the time but rather if I was satisfied with what I had accomplished that day. Overall, I found this to be a very liberating and eye-opening experience.
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24 Hours For my second time experiment I spent 24 hours in a neutral room with no windows and no clocks. The goal of this experiment was to experience time differently and to focus on the time passing (or not passing). In my previous experiment, Time-Proofed, I had the sun and social cues to guide me; this was not the case in this experiment. I attempted to guess the time throughout the experiment relying on my sense of time and bodily cues. To pass the time I brought materials with me to build time measuring devices which gave me both a purpose and also made time estimating interesting in relationship to work put in. As in the previous experiment, I had a diary with me where I wrote down my thoughts and feelings and also noted some time estimations. Although I knew I was allowed to leave the room at any point, I at first felt trapped and 24 hours suddenly sounded like a very long time. I felt my anxiety fade once I started working. My time estimations were relatively accurate, differentiating maximally only 1 hour to the actual time. Time seemed to flow steadily but I felt as though everything took a lot longer. I constructed 3 forms of time telling devices, two of which didn’t prove to be effective due to the limited resources I had with me in the room. However, my first device, a candle which I melted together, worked relatively well and was the inspiration for my final project. The experiment was a very enlightening experience and deemed as a source of inspiration.
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4 in 3 For the third experiment, the goal was to gain a full day by shortening the day to 18 hours. I did this experiment with Christian Spiess, a designer and my external mentor. For the experiment our days were made up of 12 hours of day-time and 6 hours of sleep, meaning after four so called “days”, we had saved 24 hours or put differently, had worked 4 days in 3. Since our schedule was kept strictly to this 12 to 6 ratio, this meant that on one day we were awake from 3am to 3pm and another from 9pm to 9am. We made sure we put in a minimum of 6 hours of focused work every day, ate 3 meals a day and ate lunch at the 12pm equivalent every day to replicate a normal daily rhythm. We had to plan what time we started the experiment so that it would line up with the meetings and other plans we had. The first day was relatively normal, we awoke at 9am and went to sleep at 9pm. On day two we awoke at 3am and since we had a project kick-off meeting at 8:30am we had to have an early lunch at 8am (equivalent to 11am on a normal rhythm). It was a great overall experience and at the end of the experiment it felt very strange that it was only Wednesday morning as it felt like much more time had passed. It was fascinating (and somewhat amusing) to be able to define a new time span for what we call a “day”, simply by having 6 less hours a day. I enjoyed reflecting on our social time construct and our ability to manipulate the time.
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Wax Structures The decision to work with candles was inspired from the 24 hour experiment during which I roughly melted together one large candle from multiple other candles, which, according to my calculations, every section (which had a different colour) represented 4 hours. However, as discovered after the experiment, the candle I constructed (unscientifically I might add) was not a reliable source and my gut feeling was more accurate. However, there was something entrancing about watching the time pass through means of a burning candle and being transfixed by the melting wax. Having never previously worked with candles, I undertook to become knowledgeable in the basics of candle making and visited the candle making company Kerzen Meyer in Luzern. I first tested factors which affected the burning of the candles. The melted pools of wax and structures that emerged from the melted wax interested me. In res-
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ponse, I constructed a simple rotatable candle holder where the angle and direction of the candle could be changed. I tested different combinations of angles and a number of candles, observing their behaviour. From this experiment I was able to better understand how different wax structures occur and form. This led me to experiment further and move to a bigger scale.
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DESIGN
Throughout my experimentation phase, I found candles embodied the concept of time most accurately. Not only is wax an ancient material, but candles were also used as time measuring devices (the earliest recorded reference of a candle clock being from 520 CE). Candles hold the quality of time passing which I found very suitable as the experience of time passing is something which changes from moment to moment. Once the candle is burned, it is gone and you are only left with traces. So with the time – once it has passed all you are left with are memories. The final objects are the candles themselves. Each object represents a different experience and perception of time. Throughout the test phases, it was most efficient to work on a small scale. As my work and testing progressed, I realised that this size did not do the topic justice and I saw this as an opportunity to work on a larger scale. The meanings I wished to encapsulate and convey through my objects arose through a combination of findings from my time experiments, my written thesis, through wax tests and from my own feeling and perception of time. I decided to create three objects, all of which represent the passing of time differently. The base structures/candle holders act merely as the carrier and should not be in focus. I chose to work with metal as this is fire resistant and creates a contrast to the white, clean candles. The black background and minimal presentation form helps the base structures fade away and emphasises the candles’ (and respectively times’) presence.
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Immersed The dome represents the feeling of time being all immersing and all surrounding. The six arched candles which meet in the middle tower over anything that finds itself inside. Just as time is inescapable, the dome has a cage-like character and the unnatural height of the candles give them a powerful presence. The acoustic element created from the wax dropping from such height further emphasises the passing of the time and allows for an acoustic as well as a visual experience. To create a dome big enough so a person could fit in it, the arches had to be roughly two meters tall which required very long candles. Finding the right arch shape for the candles which was sturdy enough and also aesthetic took a few attempts. Using Rhino I was able to quickly test different arch shapes and plan the base structure construction.
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Although I had no experience in candle
and started to droop once stood upright.
making, this worked to my benefit and
However, the test burn also brought the
allowed me to think outside the box. I
acoustic quality to light, which hadn’t
decided to attempt to pour the wax into
been present until this point. I found the
a metal pipe as this was sturdy, long
acoustic aspect a very valuable and in-
enough and had the diameter of the
teresting component of the whole object
candle I envisioned for my dome. This
and later added a slightly elevated base
worked surprisingly well and after a few
inside the metal candle holder to ampli-
test runs with shorter pipes I poured the
fy the sound of the wax dripping.
first 2.25m long candle. To get the candle out of the pipe again, I heated the ent-
Once all the candles had been poured
ire length of the pipe using two hot air
and formed, I transported them into
guns so as to melt the outside layer of
a room in the basement where it was
the candle. Then, working very quickly,
much cooler, so they could rest and fully
I used a metal pole with a wooden cylin-
harden before I put the whole object to-
der at the end to push the candle out. As
gether. Due to fire hazard I had to light
soon as the candle came out of the pipe,
the object outside.
it was slightly pliable for a few minutes allowing me to bend it into its arched form. Once I had narrowed it down to two candles with different arch shapes, I did a test burn in order to find out which arch was more stable. The test burn revealed both positive and negative aspects. A big problem was the high room temperature of the 3D workshop where I made my candles. Due to the constant high heat, which was partly due to the weather and partly due to me using two hot air guns for longer periods of time multiple times a day, the candles could not properly set
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Calm and Chaos For my second depiction of time I wan-
I did this in controlled amounts and in
ted to show the contrast between our
a controlled setting. The least dange-
experience of time as passing slowly
rous but still entertaining solution was
and abruptly speeding up – a phenome-
a combination between fondue pas-
non we encounter regularly in our day
te and sparklers. Even though I knew
to day lives. The candle which starts
roughly what awaited me after a few
of burning slow and steady leaves the
tests, the surprise effect was different
viewer uncertain as to if something is
every time, making it unpredictable for
going to happen. The sparks and big
me too. The candle holder is a simple
flame come abruptly, without warning
construction, with a flat round metal
and quickly fade again. The calm minu-
base and a pipe which I welded from
tes before the chaos forces the viewer
behind for a clean finish. As this was
to be patient and wait and watch as the
the least complex object I waited to bu-
time passes seemingly steadily. The
ild the construction until last to allow
chaos comes as a surprise and portrays
some freedom.
the unpredictability that time holds. It also represents how the time can seem to pass slow and steadily but can also quickly speed up and is over in a flash. This was also a chance for me to include a playful aspect to a conceptual and philosophical topic. To make this candle I had to be cautious as to what elements I mixed into the wax. I had to find a balance between a candle which could be potentially dangerous and one which would be underwhelming. I tested various flammable materials in various combinations.
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Merging time For my third representation of time I
welded the pipes from behind. I then
wanted to create an object which ref-
bent the bottom plate upwards, slightly
lects aspects which I experienced from
more than 90 degrees due to the heavy
the time-proofing experiment and the
weight,
research I did into standardisation
weight of the wax. For the proportions
of time and clocks in my written the-
I used Rhino to visualise different va-
sis. The clock-like composition of the
riants and used the plotter to cut out a
candles is a reflection on our manmade
cardboard model to test the size of the
time construct. Although our modern
object in the room which also functio-
embodiment of the time through the
ned as a stencil for cutting the metal.
calculating
the
additional
clock is a steady and never ending cycle, the real feeling of time is not at all
Using the same technique as with the
steady and cyclical – in reality everyo-
long candles I poured wax into metal
ne has their own perception and relati-
pipes. I used this method for all my
onship to how they experience time. In
candles and meant every candle had
my experience the time, the hours, the
the same diameter.
days and weeks often seem to merge and flow into each other. The feeling of time passing can often feel blurry and surreal in comparison to the structured steady passing of time the clock shows. The 12 candles sticking out horizontally towards the viewer creates a somewhat confrontational and unnatural perspective. The candles melt onto and into each other and onto the plate below, merging together. For the base structure I cut the main shape out of one piece of metal and
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REFLECTION My goal heading into my bachelor project was to do something which I knew would challenge me and would also allow me pursue my interests. During my studies I discovered that thinking conceptually and working spatially brings me the most joy. I knew I was setting a significant challenge for myself when I chose to occupy myself with the concept of time, but I saw the bachelor project as the perfect opportunity to engage in this topic and to work on a large scale. Reflecting back, not only on my bachelor project, but also on my studies overall, I am happy to say that it has been a time of growth. Throughout my studies I was able to discover where I see myself in the creative field and where my interests lie most.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank all of the people who have been part of this project and journey. Without the support of family and friends this would not have been possible. Special thanks to: The infastructure and workshops of the HSLU Art & Design Florian Hauswirth Prof. Dr. Dagmar Steffen Dr. Steven Martz Christian Spiess René Odermatt André Schuler Daniela Gerner Jan Bürli
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