London Design Festival 2014: Conceptual clocks reflect on time passing

London – Italian design studio FormaFantasma has designed a collection of conceptual clocks, entitled From Then On, to mark the 10th anniversary of the British furniture brand Established & Sons.

On display in the brand’s showroom as part of London Design Festival, the installation includes four mechanisms, each created to reflect the passing of time through a different process and material. The first piece is a brass rod pendulum hung from a horizontal beam that swings over a curved brass strip. A small brush attached to the end of the rod polishes the material to avoid oxidation on the central part of the strip, which over time will contrast starkly with the outer edges.

In another piece, the marble face of a clock is divided into two individual sections – an outer ring and a central disk that rotates 360 degrees every hour. A prominent dark vein running through the marble disk marks the passing of time.

A sculptural installation made from two saxophones signals the passing of every quarter hour with a sound coming from the instruments. The final piece is a tall fan attached to a brass pole that gradually opens and closes to mark five-minute intervals.

For more examples of contemplative installations that explore different perceptions of time, read our macrotrend The New Sublimity. Look out for the highlights from London Design Festival in our Seed and Shows sections.