Maarten Baas’s People’s Clock at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport is installed in Lounge 1 as part of his ongoing Real Time series. The work replaces a traditional clock face with a large cube structure containing synchronized video screens. Each screen displays a continuous 12-hour recording in which groups of people move in coordinated formations to form the hour and minute hands, while a single performer runs along the edge to mark seconds.
The installation was created using footage recorded in a hangar with more than one thousand participants, many of whom work at the airport. The video loops in real time, aligning with the actual time of day through continuous playback. The structure measures approximately 250 centimeters on each side and operates as a functioning clock while displaying the recorded sequence across all four sides of the cube.
Image Credit: Thijs Wolzak
What Makes This Trend Stand Out
- Choreographed Time Displays
- A shift toward using live-action choreography mapped to timekeeping suggests experiential displays that blend performance art with functional public information.
- Synchronized Multi-screen Cubes
- The adoption of large-scale, synchronized video cubes indicates opportunities for immersive, multi-faceted visual installations that convey dynamic content across multiple faces.
- Community-sourced Participation
- Involving local workers and volunteers in recorded loops points to social-engagement-driven media that leverages community identities to make utility objects culturally resonant.
Sectors Adopting This
- Airport Experience Design
- Passenger spaces incorporating performative timepieces suggest reconceptualized wayfinding and amenity models that merge art with functional navigation.
- Digital Signage Manufacturing
- Manufacturers of display hardware are positioned to rethink form factors toward large synchronized volumes that prioritize narrative and temporal accuracy alongside brightness and durability.
- Public Art Commissions
- Municipal and corporate art programs commissioning time-based video sculptures imply new valuation frameworks where utility and storytelling are monetized together.
