Not on display

100 Objects Mirrors of Silent Time

Clock
1983 (designed), 1985 (made)
Artist/Maker
Parenthesis Ltd (maker)
Weil, Daniel (designer)
Place of origin
London (made)

The electrical components of the clock are contained within a see-through PVC bag which hangs from a metal wall fixing. Wires coated in multi-coloured plastic protrude from the front of the bag. The bag is printed with multi-coloured shapes and patterns. The circuit board is also printed with a drawing and various shapes and patters, again multi-coloured.

Object details

Categories
Clocks & Watches
Plastic
Product Design
Object type
Clock
Title100 Objects Mirrors of Silent Time (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
PVC, plastic and metal components
PVC
Plastic
Metal
Brief description
'100 Objects Mirrors of Silent Time' clock, PVC, plastic and electrical components, designed by Daniel Weil, 1983
Physical description
The electrical components of the clock are contained within a see-through PVC bag which hangs from a metal wall fixing. Wires coated in multi-coloured plastic protrude from the front of the bag. The bag is printed with multi-coloured shapes and patterns. The circuit board is also printed with a drawing and various shapes and patters, again multi-coloured.
Copy number
100 editions
Gallery label
(1992)
Twentieth Century Gallery Label, Room 71:
Clock: '100 Objects Mirrors of Silent Time'
Designed by David Weil (British, born Argentina, 1953), 1983
Made by Parenthesis Ltd., London, 1985
PVC, electrical components
W.662-2001
This clock derives the maximum from each component in terms of technical efficiency and visual expression. For example the printed circuit board not only provides the circuit but is also a drawing and the electrical wires, which enter the clock at the front, were specially made to add visual elaboration. The title refers to the silence of the electronic clock by contrast with the mechanical.
Credit line
Given by the designer
Object history
The title - '100 Objects Mirrors of Silent Time' refers to a) the fact that this is one of an edition of 100 clocks and b) that it is electric and therefore doesn't tick like a mechanical clock.

It was designed for an Italian lawyer called Guiseppe Melzi who sent them to clients as a Christmas gift.
Historical context
Daniel Weil has been influential in changing and creating new forms for ordinary mass-produced products. In the 1980s one of his interest was how objects could be imbued with imagery and symbolism, through colour, shape and texture.
Association
Melzi, Guiseppe
Associated objects
Collection
Furniture and Woodwork Collection
Accession number
W.662-2001

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Record createdJune 27, 2001
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O60352/100-objects-mirrors-of-silent-clock-weil-daniel/
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