Hasta La Ideas

Three “clocks” that forgo seconds, minutes and hours for something more natural

Scott Thrift returns to Kickstarter to debut a new time-channeling tool, this one dedicated to the phases of the moon. This campaign does more than allow people to support the most recent addition to Thrift’s magical roster of machines; it grants access to all three. Since 2011 we’ve been enamored with and utilized the Brooklyn-based artist and designer’s original “The Present.” The hand on this colorful annual clock takes an entire year to complete one cycle, indicating the seasons as it moves. In 2016, Thrift launched the “Today” clock, inspired by the view of time on Earth through the window of an airplane. For the clock’s face, the artist utilized a blue gradient to convey day, night and the mystical time in between. The hand passes 360 degrees once every 24 hours.

As Thrift’s mission is to “advance time literacy” and to bring harmony to our relationship with time, the moon made for a next natural subject matter. Once again, Thrift forgoes seconds, minutes and hours and invites gradient and color (or lack thereof) to tell the story. While the moon waxes and wanes in the sky above, the hand on the clock  passes from a bright portion that represents the full moon down to a dark portion mimicking the night of a new moon. Thrift also affixes a 50% gray hand, allowing it to appear dark against the full moon and bright against the new moon. Altogether, it’s subtle and soothing. And one revolution translates, as expected, to one lunar cycle—a measure of time of great importance for centuries.

Support the Kickstarter now and receive one clock for a $149 pledge, two for $299 or three for $449—all with cork bodies. For glass and steel encasements, prices continue upward.

Images courtesy of Scott Thrift