Referencing the birth year of founders Bastian Bischoff and Per Emanuelsson, the Humans since 1982 studio creates works that are positioned at the crossroads of visual art and product design. Masters of both experimental gallery installations and fascinating household objects, Bischoff and Emanuelsson maintain an artistic focus that “manages to be analytical with a healthy dose of escapism.”
Currently on sale through the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) Design Store, Humans since 1982’s Clock Clock 24 epitomizes the collective’s fundamental mission and goals. This hypnotic objet combines 24 small, round, analog clocks to create a giant, rectangular, digital display.
The hands of each clock are precisely choreographed to perform movements that are entirely unrelated to their traditional purpose of telling time. Users can set these choreographed movements at “minimal,” “medium,” or “elaborate” levels to occur every minute. After cycling through a range of fluidly changing patterns, these hands come to rest in a configuration that spells out the current time in numerals. The result is a 15.75 by 35.5 display that resembles a classic digital clock.
This exceptional item can be set to display either traditional or military time using a striking black-and-white color palette. A technologically advanced piece of kinetic art, Clock Clock 24 is composed of Corian acrylic/alumina trihydrate, steel, and quality electronic components. Humans since 1982 has capped the manufacture of these limited-edition objects at 950 units.