Though a constant stream of dripping water may evoke visions of Chinese water torture, this installation from Creators and Paris-based hybrid design team Electronic Shadow is actually quite soothing. It’s a beautiful execution of method, without imparting the natural distress dripping water is known to trigger.
Time Drop, also called Bissextiles, was originally designed for an exhibition surrounding the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Electronic Shadow, known for their highly-technical but seemingly simple creations, took the Olympic flag—specifically the intersection of the five rings representing each inhabited continent—as their inspiration. Highlighting the physical link between people of the world (through the Olympic Games and the intersection of the rings), and also speaking to the figurative closeness that today’s virtual networks enable, Time Drop uses the universal vibration of water and the stimulation of waves to us all of our interconnectivity.
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Their hybrid water sculpture releases drips of water into a basin whose ripples are augmented by projections and synchronized with sound. The installation starts off with one slow drip at a time, and eventually builds up to five, the patterns interspersed with smokey-looking aberrations and Pollock-esque “splatters.” Eventually, clock hands appear in the projections, transforming the fountain into a water clock.
The hypnotic rings and their enhanced ripples induce a quiet, hypnotic state prompting celestial ruminations about nature, space, and time.
Come see Time Drop in Paris during our event at La Gaîté lyrique from June 9-11. Learn more about Electronic Shadow on their Creator profile.
