The year of celebrations, in marking The Hour Glass’ 40th anniversary, is slowly and surely coming to an end. But not before a massive hurrah, and a few more limited edition watches to cap off 2019.
Recognizing that The Hour Glass has, not only been a globally renowned, purveyor of fine timepieces, but also an institution that very passionately champions the art, design, creativity and culture of the watchmaking universe, the Singapore based retailer will transform its flagship store, Malmaison by The Hour Glass to showcase this commitment.
Malmaison’s transformation has been tasked into the hands of Milan based, JoAnn Tan Studio. Their brief, keeping in sync with the space’s present aesthetics, to give Malmaison the ‘2001: Space Odyssey treatment,’ inspired by Stanley Kubrick’s cinematic sets created for the cult classic film.
The special set up will form a space within Malmaison to feature all of the limited edition timepieces announced for The Hour Glass’ 40th anniversary and will unveil commissioned Objets D’Art created by accomplished designers and contemporary artists.
The line-up of commissions include, Studio Wieki Somers, nendo, Daniel Arsham and, a very familiar name to watchmaking, Marc Newson.
Studio Wieki Somers
Addressing themes of climate change, Studio Wieki Somers explore the increasing destruction of insect habitats through urbanisation in artwork ‘Beetle Clock’. Symbolizing the ticking of time for ecosystems, two beetles chase time around the age rings of a tree trunk and highlight the importance of small creatures within the larger chain of effects.
nendo
Sculpted from one singular form with two hands sliced from the structure, nendo creates a cuboid shaped clock. Meticulously orchestrated, the hands neatly overlap only twice a day, uniting the shape in its original appearance and conveying the impression of the resetting of the mind.
Daniel Arsham
Developing on from the sculptural hourglass design, Daniel Arsham examines the constructions of time and recreates the structure in enduring bronze.
Marc Newson
Inspired by the iconic design of the hourglass, Marc Newson reinterprets the ancient time measuring instrument and its principles first developed by the water clock. Uniquely hand-crafted crystal forms the body of the two signature bulbs held within the Klepsydra, with each holding over 2.8 million metallic dusted nanoballs. Controlled by a complex mechanism, the nanoballs trickle between the two interconnected structures to provide accurate recordings of time.
Exhibition Dates: 24 November 2019 to 31 January 2020 at the Malmaison by The Hour Glass
