At the Time When
Vol. I When the Sun Is Above
Vol. II When Shadows Point East
Vol. III When the Night Bells Ring
Artist’s Book, Artistic Research, Photography
225×300 mm, 52 pages each, 60 Editions
Concept
Wai Lun Hsu, Lai Ping So
Research and Text
Wai Lun Hsu, Lai Ping So
Photography
Wai Lun Hsu, Lai Ping So
Illustrations
Lai Ping So
Salt Prints
Wai Lun Hsu
Printing
Inside pages: PPP Pre Print Partner GmbH & Co. KG, Köln
Jingwei Printing Arts Industrial Co., Ltd., Taipei
Design and Bookbinding
Publisher
mmmmor studio, Düsseldorf
First Edition, July 2024
Edition of 60
Printed in Germany
Hand-bound by the artists
Wai Lun Hsu, Lai Ping So
Research and Text
Wai Lun Hsu, Lai Ping So
Photography
Wai Lun Hsu, Lai Ping So
Illustrations
Lai Ping So
Salt Prints
Wai Lun Hsu
Printing
Inside pages: PPP Pre Print Partner GmbH & Co. KG, Köln
Jingwei Printing Arts Industrial Co., Ltd., Taipei
Design and Bookbinding
Publisher
mmmmor studio, Düsseldorf
First Edition, July 2024
Edition of 60
Printed in Germany
Hand-bound by the artists
At the Time When
225 × 300 mm, 52 pages each, 60 Editions
First Published in July 2024
Printed in Germany and Taiwan (Covers)
First Published in July 2024
Printed in Germany and Taiwan (Covers)
At the Time When is a three-segment work of artists' books. It divides the time of a day into three periods, each represented by a volume:
Volume I: When the Sun Is Above
Volume II: When Shadows Point East
Volume III: When the Night Bells Ring
The artists' book At the Time When employs a three-part structure, exploring the concept of time by its measurement. Time was once a fluid concept; we relied on sun, shadows, or combustion for communicating time. Mechanical clocks synchronised and homogenised our time. The clock, Karl Marx argued, was the first automatic tool introducing “regular motion”, reshaping timekeeping, industrialised production, and our daily patterns.
We investigate two archives—the German Clock Museum and the Baden State Museum in Southwest Germany—for their clock-making history. In the Black Forest, a clockmaking tradition began in the mid-17th century. Thousands of timekeeping machines are now stored in the clock museum, showing different times at the same moment. For instance, one clock freezes at 8:10, another at 4:00. We respond to these timepieces at these specific times during our trip to the Black Forest in June, in the longest days of the year.
The artifacts and images in this work come from different pasts, yet record the same time. By connecting these ideas of time, the work examines our “temporal” and “eternal” relationships with time.
Volume I: When the Sun Is Above
Volume II: When Shadows Point East
Volume III: When the Night Bells Ring
The artists' book At the Time When employs a three-part structure, exploring the concept of time by its measurement. Time was once a fluid concept; we relied on sun, shadows, or combustion for communicating time. Mechanical clocks synchronised and homogenised our time. The clock, Karl Marx argued, was the first automatic tool introducing “regular motion”, reshaping timekeeping, industrialised production, and our daily patterns.
We investigate two archives—the German Clock Museum and the Baden State Museum in Southwest Germany—for their clock-making history. In the Black Forest, a clockmaking tradition began in the mid-17th century. Thousands of timekeeping machines are now stored in the clock museum, showing different times at the same moment. For instance, one clock freezes at 8:10, another at 4:00. We respond to these timepieces at these specific times during our trip to the Black Forest in June, in the longest days of the year.
The artifacts and images in this work come from different pasts, yet record the same time. By connecting these ideas of time, the work examines our “temporal” and “eternal” relationships with time.
Concept Wai Lun Hsu, Lai Ping So
Research and Text Wai Lun Hsu, Lai Ping So
Photography Wai Lun Hsu, Lai Ping So
Illustrations Lai Ping So
Salt Prints Wai Lun Hsu
Printing PPP Pre Print Partner GmbH & CO. KG, Köln, Jingwei Printing Arts Industrial Co., Ltd., Taipei
Design and Bookbinding Wai Lun Hsu, Lai Ping So
Publisher mmmmor studio, Düsseldorf
Research and Text Wai Lun Hsu, Lai Ping So
Photography Wai Lun Hsu, Lai Ping So
Illustrations Lai Ping So
Salt Prints Wai Lun Hsu
Printing PPP Pre Print Partner GmbH & CO. KG, Köln, Jingwei Printing Arts Industrial Co., Ltd., Taipei
Design and Bookbinding Wai Lun Hsu, Lai Ping So
Publisher mmmmor studio, Düsseldorf