Time Matters: Dutch Design Exhibition Explores the Concept of Time

The Cube Design Museum in Kerkrade, Netherlands, presents 'Time Matters', an exhibition curated by Elisabetta Pisu, Gene Bertrand, and Wouter van Dillen. The show features unique pieces by international designers and artists that engage with different interpretations of time. Highlights include Bertrand Planes' 'Life Clock', which runs 61,320 times slower than a standard clock, taking 84 years for a full rotation (based on 2011 female life expectancy). Matthew Rosier and Jonathan Chomko's 'Relative Clocks' (2016), commissioned by the UK Space Agency, measure time on Earth versus four orbiting spacecraft, illustrating general and special relativity. Maarten Baas' 'Just About Now' (2012) offers an intentionally imprecise hourglass, while Commonplace Studio's 'Claude Glass' records weather instead of clock time. Aart van Asseldonk's 'The Time is Ticking' (2015) hides woodworm damage beneath a conventional clock, symbolizing life's transience. The exhibition, organized by IMF Foundation in Rome and Cube Design Museum, opened during the pandemic, prompting reflection on deceleration and cultural mediation through design. Runs until January 3, 2021.