Studio Catinca Tilea

MYTIME

Concept product

Exhibited at ‘Archetime. Cross-Disciplinary Conference and Exhibition on Time’, New York 2009
Published in ‘Infinite Instance. Studies and Images of Time‘, New York 2011

Each individual's relation to time depends on personal experiences. Within the concept, conventional time-count is exceeded and the emphasis is set on the little things that construct the personal experience.
MyWatch, the product that materializes the concept, focuses on the organic experience of time. The object stretches a contemporary urban issue: the lack of time and people living with the impression that time slips away from them.
Inside the device a life form (algae) grows at different rates, depending to the amount of light and warmth it receives from the user. The object’s functionality derives from the hypothesis that you take as much care of yourself as you take care of the things around you. The object’s life depends on you, namely on the connection between your biorhythm and the plant’s development.
You witness life in your immediate vicinity. You are directly responsible for its evolution; if you cease giving it warmth and light, it disappears. To give it warmth, it requires the user to wear the watch. To give it light, it must be exposed to the sun. Wearing MyWatch every day distributes attention to yourself by paying attention to the object.

MyWatch works as a psychological stimulant and enables the user to reflect upon his life. The product “lives” with you for a short while until you reach to certain individual realizations.