As part of our piece we are putting together our own clock created out of 9 carpet tiles. This is representing our ‘at work’ section of our performance, linking with the sites history of clockmaking and James Ward Usher’s heritage in the trade of horology.
In order to make it look effective and stand out against the Gallery’s dark interior, we chose cream coloured carpet tiles. Each carpet tile has been cut into many pieces, so the object as a whole imitates a giant jigsaw puzzle. I then had to create stencils of every number, to measure the distance of the clock, making sure every number was roughly the same size, for the final product to look as good as possible.
We decided to use carpet tiles instead of cardboard or other materials, due to the aesthetics of our performance space. Gallery 3 is intentionally different to the other spaces around, with its carpeted floor and ceiling, so we needed to keep this effect.
I stencilled all the numbers in black permanent pen and finalised the puzzle with hands pointing at 2 o’clock. This time has been purposefully chosen as it will be the time that we should finish putting the puzzle together. The final puzzle once complete will be an interesting addition to the Gallery.
It will represent the clocks in Gallery 3 as well as fitting in with the role of The Collection and Usher Gallery in displaying contemporary art as well as historic artefacts. This is our own work of modern art!