How do we measure time, and above all, how do we shape it? What does it actually mean to be productive, or to get the most out of your day? The exhibition All the Time in the World pauses time for a moment, allowing us to take a closer look at it. It explores the stories behind the historical and modern clocks, calendars and other timepieces that have shaped our modern world.
A design history of time
In our fast-paced and uncertain society, questions about time are more relevant than ever. Modern society demands productivity, regularity and predictability. The clock is the most important object in our world and time is our most precious resource; it is subject to constant economic and political struggle. Think of the long struggle of trade unions for the eight-hour working day, or the current discussion about a four-day working week. Productivity apps and gurus encourage us to plan every minute carefully. Imagine missing something! For the first time, Design Museum Den Bosch tells the design history of time. It focuses on the subjective, cultural and economic significance of time, based on the tools that humans have designed to get a grip on time. On closer inspection, time turns out to be not as objective as the numbers on the clock would have us believe.
A special exhibition on an everyday subject
The journey from birth to death, the cycle of the seasons, the rhythm of day and night… time is a mysterious phenomenon that has fascinated artists, philosophers and scientists for thousands of years. With calendars, sundials, complex water clocks and later the mechanical clock, people all over the world tried to measure and tame time. The story of the relationship between humans and time is therefore also a story about design. ‘We shape our tools, and our tools shape us,’ wrote John Culkin. All the time in the world approaches clocks and other timepieces not only as art objects and pieces of craftsmanship, but also as revolutionary and powerful designs that have changed our modern world forever. This seemingly contradictory relationship between man and his machine – man is both the designer and prisoner of the clock – is central to the exhibition.
Rare timepieces, works of art and calendars from various collections, on display together for the first time
The exhibition All the Time in the World explores the story of time through calendars and sundials from Indonesia, Africa and Siberia; a tower clock and bell from the late Middle Ages; an 18th-century grandfather clock; unique pocket watches from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries; several watches from iconic brands such as Cartier and Omega; and watch designs by star designers such as Bruno Ninaber van Eyben and Meret Oppenheim. A clock with a decimal dial from the French Revolution shows the political dimensions of time measurement. Industrial and astronomical precision timepieces and the modern atomic clock are also featured. These historical pieces are complemented by impressive works by contemporary artists and designers such as Maarten Baas, Dries Depoorter, Joep van Lieshout, Tatsuo Miyajima and Susan Morris. Together with prints by Hendrick Goltzius, a still life by Petrus van Kessel, and a Buddhist thangka from the Wereldmuseum collection, these works invite reflection on the meaning of time. Is time a divine circle? A straight path to the future? A fourth dimension? What does it actually mean to be productive, to get the most out of your day?
A unique and spectacular design
The unique room design is by Studio Ilona Laurijsse and Maaike Stevens, in collaboration with the Designers in Residence at Design Museum Den Bosch. Since 2024, this design team, consisting of Chris Kievid and Lars van Vianen, has been exploring the possibilities of digital and interactive presentations in the museum. After several smaller test projects, they are now taking the step towards a larger exhibition project. Their interactive light installation Emanon will be on display in Alle tijd van de wereld. This work explores the physical and subjective dimension of time; an enigmatic dimension without which nothing could exist.
This exhibition was curated by curator Tomas van den Heuvel and head curator Yassine Salihine. The exhibition design was created by Studio Ilona Laurijsse and Maaike Anne Stevens.
