The Context Clock

A clock doesn't just tell the time. It also gives us other planes of references, both literal and abstract. A clock can tell us whether it's time to work, to play, to socialise, or to sleep. It can also tell us whether it's time to be happy, sad, anxious or angry. A clock is so much more than an indicator of just time. This applies to all clocks, from the sundial to the Casio F-91W. A clock is a measure of time. A measure that we use to quantify our experiences. It's not necessary that time is the only measure that we quantify our experiences with. This measure can vary for people. For some it's personal milestones, and others, it's global measures. This measure changes constantly, evolving with our needs and desires.

Some of these measures are passive, something to refer to once in a while. Others are a lot more active, something to compete with and observe closely. Some measures are inspirational, others are a warning. They can also remind you of your journey and eventual destination.

A few measures of time I refer to currently. This will change in time. See the code →

Design Process

I hadn't thought of time with this level of scrutiny before. Time is an elastic medium. It expands and contracts as it wishes to. Often, we have no choice but to sway to it's rhythms. But sometimes, it is possible to take back control and own your time. Time is a construct we set for ourselves, and we can change it if we so wish to. I have't seen a clock for what it is for a while now. The numbers I see on a watch signify action. Influenced by working in a studio, the watch dictates my actions, whether I eat, sleep, work, or meet people. I often see time as a series of Calendar events. I sketched out a small prototype of the same.

For this prototype, I've defined a few states, such as Sleep, Work, Lunch, Play and Sleep. See the code →

Time doesn't operate in isolation. It is largely defined by our experiences. Our emotions, state of being, the ambient temperature, or even the music we listen to can greatly affect how time moves. Time has a variable tempo. By adjusting the tempo, or cadence at which we live and experience, the perception of time can be changed. I created a small prototype inspired by the tempo-setting interface from Visual Jockey softwares such as Modul8 and VDMX.

The faster you tap, the quicker time will pass. See the code → Sketches of other ideas that didn't make the cut, which include a wind-up watch, and a single purpose clock which revolves around class time.

I ended up creating the sketch at the very top of the page, titled 'Measures of Time', due to the fact that it was the only concept that reflected my perception of time accurately. The measures on the clock will change with time, and evolve as I grow as a person. I see those measure now, clear as day, but I will eventually see other measures to compare time with.

Reflections

Through this process of sketching out new measures of time and concepts of watches, I realised that time is not only variable as a concept and perception, but in raw numbers as well. There are many ways through which time can be coded and replicated. Although time can be easily represented via the easily accessible hour(), minute() and second() commands, it is also possible to create custom time keeping algorithms. For some of my sketches I settled on defining a frameRate and subsequently using millis() to calculate a second using an if statement. I suspect there are so many more ways through which a second can be calculated. In the tap-to-speed-up-time prototype, a second is 20% slower than usual. This was done in an attempt to slow down time, and increase the sense of urgency when the button to speed up time is pressed.

Observing and studying time at close quarters is a fascinating experience. It felt like playing with the very fabric of existence, and it certainly does change how I think about time going forward. The ability to change the perception of time feels like magic, and it's something I will explore going forward.