Making Art in the Face of Eternity: 5 Famous Artworks That Incorporate Time, Evolution, and Entropy

Time has long been a subject
that conjured up great art. 

From charting the rhythms of
nature in cave art, to capturing the luminosity of sunrise or
sunset, to imagining allegories of the stages of life, art has
incorporated the passage of time as one of its great themes.
Timepieces make a frequent appearance as muses. Salvador Dali’s
famous The
Persistence of Memory (1931) is sometimes referred to as,
simply, Clocks. In Antonio de Perada’s Allegory of Vanity (1632-1636), an ornate golden clock squares off against
other markers of time: a half-burned candlestick, an hourglass,
skulls, and time-worn books. 

In the contemporary art and
design worlds—two industries that have become increasingly
collaborative in recent years—a new kind of relationship has been
forged, resulting in the ultimate intersection of art and time: the
timepieces of Grand Seiko’s Nature of Time collection. These are
made so painstakingly—with beautiful embellishments, precise
details, and carefully constructed movements—that each one appears
as a mini-work of art unto itself. 

To celebrate its singular craftsmanship and Japanese heritage,
Grand Seiko Corporation of America has announced a continuation of
its partnership with retailer Watches of Switzerland, presenting a
limited-edition timepiece gallery in Soho. Coinciding
with the official opening of
its retail store in the iconic New York neighborhood, the
exhibition features the largest collection of Grand Seiko
timepieces in the world in a space redefined for the individual
luxury retail experience, with personalized and safe
service.

The timepiece gallery features
eight “zones” where guests can learn about what makes the brand’s
watches tick. One zone,
for instance, will use innovative technology to illustrate how
Grand Seiko’s mechanical, quartz, and Spring Drive movements come
to be. In another, guests will have the opportunity to experience
the beautiful bars of Tokyo’s Ginza district in the downstairs VIP
room known as the Takumi Lounge. 

But the highlight of the “Nature
of Time Experience,” as the show is called, is the exhibition of
timepieces itself. This includes all the brand’s boutique
collections worldwide, the recently released Watches of Switzerland
exclusive Toge Special Edition GMT, and limited-edition 60th
Anniversary pieces. At its heart is the complete Nature of Time
collection, which pays tribute to Japan’s sublime seasonal beauty,
illustrated by each piece through its own distinct combination of
design and movement. From the Risshun piece, which celebrates the
start of spring in early February, to Daikan, which suggests the
rarified winter atmosphere of late January, the collection is a
unique tribute to the rhythms of one of the world’s most beautiful
countries. 

To celebrate this collection and
its coinciding gallery exhibition—which can also be experienced
through Grand Seiko’s immersive Nature of Time Experience online platform—here
are five famous artworks that showcase how great artists have translated
their own senses of time, evolution, and entropy into meaningful
contemporary art.

Yayoi Kusama’s The
Obliteration Room (2002)

Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama—the
reining queen of immersive installation art—originally created the
interactive Obliteration Room for children. First staged
in 2002, Kusama’s work inventively allows the public to come
together to literally mark the passage of time. From the walls to
the furniture, it begins as an all white space. Over the course of
several weeks, each new visitor is given a round sticker and
invited to place it where they will, completely transforming the
environment over time. 

Olafur Eliasson’s The
Weather Project (2003)

In 2013, the Scandanavian artist Olafur Eliasson debuted
arguably his most famous work of all: a massive installation that attempted to
replicate the sun rising out of a mist that filled Tate Modern’s
Turbine Hall. Entitled The Weather Project, the project
drew visitors in with its rapturous atmosphere, appearing as though
the sun itself had descended into the building. Eliasson used 200
low-sodium mono-frequency lamps to achieve this effect, which
blocked out all other colors besides black and yellow, reframing
the environment of the space entirely. While global warming sparked
the idea for Eliasson, the relationship between time and weather
contributed to his inspiration. “You will see clouds today that you
will never see again,” the artist said, explaining the
philosophical message he hoped it would leave his visitors
with.

Anish
Kapoor’s 1000 Names (1981)

Indian-born British artist Anish Kapoor was born and raised in
Mumbai before moving to London to study art during university. When
he returned to India in 1979, he became inspired by piles of
pigment placed along roadsides and at the entrances of temples,
often used for ritual prayer. One of his first series that explored
his interest in pigmented color, 1000 Names, took
inspiration from such experiences and sought to realize shapes that
integrate with their environment. Eventually, over time, the
pigments spill out onto the walls and floors in which they have
been placed. “1000 Names implies that the objects are part
of a much bigger whole,” the artist explained. “The objects seem to
be coming out of the ground or the wall, the powder defining a
surface, implying that there is something below the surface, like
an iceberg poking out of the subconscious.”

Felix Gonzalez-Torres,
Untitled (1990)

Cuban-American artist Felix Gonzalez-Torres frequently addressed
the theme of time in his work, much of which focused on the life
and loss of his longtime partner whom he lost to AIDS. His
sculptural candy project—which consisted of piles of individually
wrapped, shiny confections—was conceived to represent the 175-pound
weight of the average male. Made in homage to his partner Ross,
whose weight and health declined as he became sicker, the work
invited visitors to interact with it by taking a piece of candy
away from the pile, which would then be replenished by the gallery.
The work stands as a poignant depiction of the artist’s grief as
the love of his life withered away over time.

teamLab’s A Forest
Where Gods Live (2019)

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Incorporate Time, Evolution, and Entropy appeared first on
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