What time is it?

http://iprl.wz.cz/

by joaopfsilva • 14 years ago

363 80 14 years ago

iprl.wz.cz

The funny way to know what time it is!!

AlexMuir• 14 years ago

And cue the commercials cloned off this.

Absolutely brilliant. I couldn't find any background on it though - looks like a Czech project?

marcusf• 14 years ago

With the Fernsehturm at Alexanderplatz in the background, I'd rather wager Berlin?

dgudkov• 14 years ago

It was shot in Berlin.

zerostar07• 14 years ago

Awesome. Closest affordable equivalent is the Stonehenge clock http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pH0HLXnXljY

cbg0• 14 years ago

Considering how much work was put into this, the novelty is lost very quickly, for me at least.

mmahemoff• 14 years ago

Things you only look at for a short time can still have a pervasive impact. I find art mostly works that way for me at least, and I think that will be the case here.

extension• 14 years ago

So is this a clever split frame trick or did they actually spend an entire day doing that?

EDIT: Actually, the lighting would be really difficult if it was a trick so I'm going to say it's real.

kami8845• 14 years ago

Looks to me like they hired a bunch of cheap workers on an "art" budget.

blahedo2• 14 years ago

I thought it was a split frame thing too, but then noticed that they veer into the tens place pretty frequently and cast shadows. :) (And the other comments give more details about the original art installation.)

That's not to say that you couldn't do a split-frame thing like this, with a little bit of cleverness and planning. Even if it were only split around the middle, that's only 72 transitions to film, which isn't too bad.

supo• 14 years ago

The location seems to be Berlin, but the domain is Czech.

It would be cool to have this in different timezones with corresponding backgrounds!

_djo_2• 14 years ago

This is an art project called 'Standard Time' by Mark Formanek. In late 2007 he filmed a team of 70 workers constructing this clock through 1611 iterations (every minute) for a 24-hour period in Berlin's Sculpture Park. So when originally filmed it was done in real-time.

The flash video here is based on a screensaver that Formanek has made available which synchronises that video to your system clock, making it appear that you're watching the clock as it's being built. It's a clever idea with great execution and the effect is interesting enough that a number of galleries have put screens with the time-synced video on display.

Formanek has since staged a few live re-enactments of this clock being built, though I'm not sure if any others have gone for the full 24 hours.

There's more info, including videos demonstrating how it was done, at the official site: http://www.standard-time.com/

ntkachov2• 14 years ago

>Formanek has since staged a few live re-enactments of this clock being built

I will never understand people that appreciate this kind of art. Call me classical, but I really don't see watching a clock interesting.

Someone at the Boston MFA made a 24 hr movie where they compile different bits of film that includes a clock into a real time clock (so if it was 10:23 it would show 10:23 in a bit of the clip). It was interesting until you realize that besides being a neat art project, it's really difficult to understand.

tudorw• 14 years ago

I will never understand how people that don't understand something don't understand how other people have the capacity to understand things not understood by them!

asmithmd1• 14 years ago

I see artists as seeding the "Cambrian explosion" of ideas for every new generation. They start with the world as it is and just try stuff. Sometimes it strikes a cord with many people, becomes part of our collective "culture," and is entered into the canon of acceptable "art." Most of the time it is just forgotten. So artists are just out there trying things - if it makes you see the world in a new way or sparks an idea then it is art to you, if it doesn't then who cares?

_djo_2• 14 years ago

I think I understand what Formanek was aiming for with this.

Unlike pre-compiled footage that can just be made 24 hours long, this was done in real-time with the workers forced to match the demands of the clock without the opportunity to pause during their shifts.

Because of its real-time nature when you view the video synced to your local time you can't help but become somewhat invested in the success of the workers as they struggle to keep up with time and come very close to failing during some transitions. There's tension generated by the fact that you never know whether they'll make the next minute.

Then there's the realisation you get after having watched this for a while that it's really all pointless, that you have become personally invested in the actions of a bunch of workers struggling to keep up with re-creating one of the most basic solved problems of the modern world: A clock. It takes 70 workers working all out to do what a cheap watch can do effortlessly.

I suppose that if it succeeds in getting most viewers to think a bit about the nature of work, time and labour then it achieved its intended purpose.

thingie• 14 years ago

It's not just a clock, but an ever changing installation that will always need the labor of those men constantly rebuilding it, to keep "running". I find it quite interesting, as an idea. Implementation could be better, I guess, but it provokes some interesting associations and thoughts. Which is, I think, one of the definition of art. To capture an idea or emotion, to reproduce and communicate an experience. Not just a picture.

Of course, it's valid to say that it doesn't work for you, or even that it can't work for anyone, because it's plain stupid. Like so many garbage art out there.

csomar• 14 years ago

The world is made up of different people with different ideas and tastes. So why do you think your Twitter App is interesting? Why do you think the JavaScript thing you coded to enhance CSS3 is worth the long hours you invested in it? Someone, not in the IT industry, will certainly dismiss it as non-sense (not even interesting).

bradwestness• 14 years ago

Is being an interesting, neat art project not enough? Not everything has to be making some grand statement about the meaning of life.

wpietri• 14 years ago

It's really choppy on my computer, but I'm definitely finding it interesting on a few levels. In case you actually want to understand people that appreciate this kind of art, here's my take:

The basic level for me is that watching them run around is kinda compelling. I once worked out of a high office building across the street from a building being disassembled and then replaced, and I lost hours watching the people at work.

There's also a series of deadlines; watching them speed up and slow down is neat. Very human. Will they make it? How about next minute? A friend who's an improv performer (and Google engineer) sometimes does this thing at his shows called "the oxygen game". Three people improvise a scene, but only two are interacting at once. The third one has their head in a bucket of water until the other two find a narrative reason to bring them back in, at which point somebody else's head goes under. The audience loves this human struggle against time.

There's also an element of expectations violated. Clocks are usually utterly boring, especially digital ones like he's aping. Which is why a lot of people create interesting clocks. E.g.: http://www.stuartsinger.com/ballclock.htm http://longnow.org/clock/

Then when watching it, it's really interesting to think about the labor. These are real people, in effect dancing for our pleasure. But they're not professional dancers. They're just construction workers, making another thing for somebody else. How do they feel about that? Do they feel the same way about a lot of the stuff they get hired to build? Are there other things that they build that are ultimately just as pointless, just as rooted in entertainment for the funder?

Then I wonder how far you could take this. What if I put up a webcam in Times Square and had a big mechanical clock where people had to supply the labor. Say by cranking a wheel once a minute. Would people participate? How would they feel? Would the clock ever miss a minute? Would it miss an hour or a day?

So for me, art like this combines an interesting idea with something that engages the senses (and sometimes the emotions) long enough for me to think about the idea and related themes. Nothing new, really: Cathedrals weren't just built to be pretty; they were there to get you think about the builder's god(s).

kahawe2• 14 years ago

> I will never understand people that appreciate this kind of art. Call me classical, but I really don't see watching a clock interesting.

Well, we have definitely gone beyond "classical" art for a LOOONG time now... the times when art was just "pretty" and "classical" is long gone - you find this "pretty" and aiming at the audience more in contemporary pop now, and the "artsy" artists do things like this clock and in my own understanding, an important factor definitely is experimenting and playing with our understanding of "what is art". Because when it comes down to it, there aren't THAT many borders or taboos to cross anymore nowadays so "what is art" is definitely an evergreen, if you will.

I am not saying you have to like it but maybe when seen from this angle, you can find it easier to appreciate the effort. Oh and by saying "I don't get it" or "I don't like it" or "this is crap" you have already contributed something - if you were to say "I don't like it and it is crap BECAUSE....." then you would have even contributed something of greater value. It's all (or rather it's a lot) about how it makes you feel and what you think and the ensuing discussion, really.

jentulman• 14 years ago

But is it art? It's all in the eye of the beholder.

I feel the same in reverse. I'm very often left completely cold by art that is about well executed craftsmanship, such as painting, photography or sculpture but lean towards pieces like this which, to my mind, are about prompting the viewer to ask questions.

That's the kicker with 'art' it's about what the person experiencing it takes from it, and those reactions are as varied as people are. Anything is art if at least one person other than the creator reacts to it.

bloat• 14 years ago

I believe you are thinking of Christian Marclay's "The Clock".

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2011/apr/07/christia...

scott_s• 14 years ago

I really don't care if we call it art or not. I just think it's neat, it makes me go, "Oh! Cool!" and puts a smile on my face. I'm glad someone is doing it. Much like Improve Everywhere: http://improveverywhere.com/

matthew-wegner• 14 years ago

One of the points of this kind of art is the discussion that you just participated in actively yourself.

tomp• 14 years ago

Call me stupid, but... Why 1611?

ehsanu1• 14 years ago

    66*24 + 24 + 3 = 1611

Every hour, 60 minute unit changes and 6 minute tens changes. 24 hour unit changes, and 3 hour tens changes.

joaopfsilva• 14 years ago

Really nice work!! and free time to do that ;)

Ya the location seems Czech Republic!! cuz the domain and the builds..i guess

codesuela• 14 years ago

it's Berlin

kayman• 14 years ago

cool project. Website feels a bit slow. I did something similar recently to learn coffeescript. http://currenti.me

diminish• 14 years ago

Didnt have flash can't see on mobile. I am still curious if "creatives" still got stuck between Adobe and Apple, the two top "creative" tool producers.

mike-cardwell• 14 years ago

I'd be more impressed if it displayed seconds.

jdmartinez• 14 years ago

Aaaadventure Time!!!

etfb• 14 years ago

Is it insanely laggy because it's being Slashdotted/Reddited/Hackernewsed, or is it just the godawful Tasmanian internet again?

mokus• 14 years ago

I suspect the former - it's laggy here too, and the network here is normally pretty fast.

koeselitz2• 14 years ago

If that's the case, it's been true since 1am this morning. I wonder if it's on the site's side. I have a feeling it is.

rahx• 14 years ago

flash.. yawn

vanmik• 14 years ago

they stole this video from (as well as code for playing it)

http://esquire.ru/clock

nopassrecover• 14 years ago

It's using the same video bandwidth behind the scenes (which is why both are lagging). I'm not sure if that means it's a repost by the author on separate sites, or whether someone is leeching bandwidth for traffic here.

gutnor• 14 years ago

http://iprl.wz.cz/ is now apparently displaying some obscene video.

The original(?) on http://esquire.ru/clock is working though.

sal9000• 14 years ago

Yes, http://iprl.wz.cz/ was working yesterday, but now is showing some random crap. http://iprl.wz.cz/ is really slow and framed. Please fix the first one!

X4• 14 years ago

WOW That's awesome!

I highly appreciate the vivid art and message behind this creative construction. We need more crazy people :)

mikeflynn• 14 years ago

Well it appears that it's time for flash to load forever and then make my fan go crazy.

koeselitz2• 14 years ago

Same here. Is this a WebGL thing or something? Three people have sent this to me today so far, and the site simply doesn't seem to work at all.

motiejus• 14 years ago

Flash version 9,0 or greater is required You have no flash plugin installed

Download latest version from here

I do not have a flash player on my machine for more than 6 months. This is the first website I encountered that I cannot use at all.

richbradshaw• 14 years ago

http://176.9.156.37/big_17-00.mp4?start=190&radius=0.695...

You might need to change the parameters to sync it to your time.

gaving• 14 years ago

Ditto. Flash is dead.

jarek2• 14 years ago

If Flash was really dead you wouldn't have bothered posting about how dead it is.

maw• 14 years ago

Pretty sweet how it freezes every two seconds, showing an hourglass. How do they do that?

blahedo2• 14 years ago

Argh! I tuned in at 10:52 and wanted to stick around to see the :00 transition, and the player crapped out just at :59, and when I reloaded the 00 had already been switched, and they were just pulling off the pieces to switch 10 to 11. The next such transition is an hour away!

...wait, how did I get so invested in this?

lebski88• 14 years ago

You could always change your system time.

daviddaniel• 14 years ago

Peanut butter jelly time?

marknutter• 14 years ago

Time to get a new server

rivo• 14 years ago

Looking at this from my office in Berlin, I thought "wow, they're even using GeoIP and some clever compositing to adjust the background to wherever I am."

Tomis02• 14 years ago

Same here :)

herbig• 14 years ago

It was awkward when I realized this wasn't linking to the clock anymore and it had been on my facebook timeline the last three days..

What time is it?

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