COUNTERMEASURES: WATER CLOCK

Countermeasures: Water Clock
Info: Caroline Woolard, 2017-2018, Glass and Water, 18 × 10 × 10 in, 2018.

Water clocks (or clepsydrae) work like this: one large vessel is made, and filled with water. On the water’s surface, a smaller vessel is placed. The smaller vessel is made with a small hole at the bottom that allows the water to flow in. One interval has passed when the bowl sinks to the bottom of the larger bowl.

Time-keeping devices are always time-producing devices. Rather than understanding time as neatly divisible, linear, and disciplinary -- the project of modernization -- this project begins with the premise that certain practices and sculptural objects can offer an experience of an alternative and intimate time, a time which is specifically marked by our social engagement with one another.

The Water Clock sculptures are made in two editions: in porcelain (8 × 2 × 2 in) and in glass (18 x 10 x 10 in). The glass edition was made possible by a residency at Pilchuck with gaffers Jason Christian and Daryl Smith and assistants Phoebe Stubbs and Emily McBride.