the ‘sand’ zen garden clock by london-based design duo, bike and begum ayaskan of studio ayaskan, is a meditative play on the landscape art of kare-sansui. like an hourglass, the timepiece uses sand to represent the passing of time, in this case using a rake that crosses the bed leaving ripples behind.

studio ayaskan zen garden clock rakes sand one every hour

images courtesy of studio ayaskan

 

 

for the first 12 hours of the day, the rake-edge of the zen garden clock’s single hand creates a series of concentric rings through its sandy surface. then, in preparation for the next 12 hours, the clock hand flips over and smoothes it all out again.

studio ayaskan zen garden clock rakes sand one every hour

 

 

‘within a spacetime continuum, time is perceived as the fourth dimension. the past the present and the future is a whole. ripples of time, allow natural materials to be shaped by time, reminding us of its presence,’ explains bike and begum ayaskan.

studio ayaskan zen garden clock rakes sand one every hour

 

 

‘sand, inspired by the landscape art of kare-sansui – japanese zen rock garden, is the gradual formation and flattening of a ripple pattern over a period of twelve hour cycles. in the daytime the hour hand draws ripple patterns on the sand whereas during the night these patterns are gradually flattened out to restart a new cycle.’

studio ayaskan zen garden clock rakes sand one every hour

 

project info

 

design: studio ayaskan

name: sand