Thesis of the Royal Academy of Art & the Royal Conservatoire The Hague, 2025
MA ArtScience
In this thesis, I explore our complex relationship with time, blending fictional narrative, historical research, and speculative design. Through the fictional character of C, a clockmaker who responds to the unique temporal needs of his clients, I investigate how standardised time systems have shaped what we value and how we relate to each other and our surroundings.
Each character introduced in the text reflects a different relationship to time: a student overwhelmed by the pressure and pace of our accelerating society, a productivity-bro who streamlines every aspect of his life by eliminating anything he deems useless, a corporate manager who uses time as a tool of control, an anarchist who resists temporal domination, and a chronobiologist who uncovers internal rhythms through extended isolation in caves. These stories serve as case studies for rethinking time, not as a singular, linear force, but as a complex and multifaceted experience.
By differentiating between “time-keeping” and “time-telling” devices, I reflect on how clocks can move beyond instruments of control to become tools for reflection, resistance, and regeneration. I propose that embracing friction, unpredictability, and polyrhythms can help us reclaim temporal autonomy in a world increasingly defined by acceleration and efficiency. In reclaiming the clock, I am also reclaiming time on my own terms.
The illustrations are made by Pablo Bardinet
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