Dorell.Ghotmeh.Tane / Architects recently completed their 'Frozen Time' Installation for a Japanese watch brand CITIZEN in Baselworld which is the largest watch and jewel industry exhibition in the world. This year, the main exhibition hall was fully renewed, therefore all the brands are intended to express their next 4 year’s vision. Instead of just renewing entire booth for next 4 years, CITIZEN reserved a large reception space to be opened and to present an installation every year as space to evolve and to express their fundamental identity of ‘Challenging spirits’. More images and architects' description after the break.
In order to conceive their brand identity almost all the brands has designed a fully new booth for this year’s exhibition. CITIZEN as a Japanese watchmaker took their approach to represent their brand identity differently in this context. Dorell.Ghotmeh.Tane / Architects has commissioned for the first year installation. First of all, by starting to visit the CITIZEN factory in Japan, they discovered a million assembling process as human manufacture and to made it into one object as a production of small universe.
At the same time, by researching a conception of ‘what is a time?’ scientifically, historically, mechanically, ethnographically, etc. Tsuyohi Tane has concluded a concept of time is ‘Time is Light and Light is Time’. A movement plates that were suspended more than 50,000 pieces with 3,000 metal wires. Each of them has carefully positioned in wire with a geometric composition that has 30 different types. And when it constructed on site it is achieved an immeasurable complexity.
There are 4 new watches that has displayed along the passage to navigate a space for a visitor to be an actor in the installation. Lighting was programmed with 178 LED dimmable spotlights on the ceiling and 60 spots on the floor to create an atmospheric sensation where notion of time - light are continuously changing or never be the same moment.
Architects: Dorell.Ghotmeh.Tane / Architects
Location: Basel, Switzerland
Technical Direction: Luftzug, Amsterdam
Producer: ADK, Tokyo
Project Coordination: Pacteam, Lausanne
Construction: Hypsos, Soesterberg
Client: CITIZEN HOLDINGS CO., LTD.
Program: Installation for Citizen
Status: Ongoing
Area: 147 m²
Year: 2013