ORA
2018
steel, glass, lime, mechanical and electronic components
height: 160 cm, width: 70 cm
Ora is an instrument for cultivating an experience of duration, a quality of time that has become rare. In the broadest sense, Ora can be seen as a clock. It makes the passage of time visible as an erosive process through which structures emerge that tell a story of their past and focus our attention on the aesthetics of ageing and the value of transience. It is in the process of continuous erosion that Ora first unfolds its true essence, speaking the language of time in an increasingly articulate manner as the texturing increases.
Similar to the repeated winding of a pendulum clock, Ora must be regularly filled with water. The erosion of the lime disc caused by the dripping water is what makes Ora functional as a horological instrument. However, it is the same process that ultimately destroys the disc and its functionality. It is only in the transience of its own substance that Ora unfolds its meaning.
Three rollers hold Ora‘s centerpiece, a round lime disc, in the frame. The lower guide roller is connected to a motor that turns the disc in a circle once every 24 hours. The glass, which ensures the water supply, is regularly filled with water by the user. This drips constantly onto the inner edge of the slowly rotating disc. After a few days of operating, a structure begins to emerge due to the abrasion of the water, which gradually becomes more and more pronounced. With a little experience, the texture of the disc can soon be read like a clock face due to the increasing development of small grooves. The drop serves as a pointer.
