Philippe Parreno Clock, 2020

Clock is part of Philippe Parreno’s body of work begun in 2019. It consists of a transparent Plexiglas clock with three hands animated by a complex mechanism of gears and belts controlled by a DMX recorder. The mechanism moves like an automaton, following its own rhythm and producing a choreography conceived by Parreno. Clock has two programs titled Pressure and Clock. Connected to a sensor that records the air pressure and temperature changes occurring in the room, Clock reacts to the climatic conditions happening in real time: this is the Pressure program. When connected to the Internet, the work can also give time: this is the Clock program. Its three hands marking hours, minutes and seconds. Parreno’s practice has always revolved around investigations of time and duration. For him, an exhibition is an event. His art is not object-based but incorporates objects, films, sound, coding, light, biological organisms, and performance to produce scenarios that involve the visitor within an evolving choreography.