Claude Glass is a black mirror that connects digital reflections of the landscape with the actual reflections of the viewer. Each minute the scenic landscape changes showing the minute changes of the conditions throughout the day. By turning the object clockwise one speeds up time and travels into the night and onto the next day, by turning in the opposite direction one can reverse in time. This abstract timepiece is inspired by the black pocket sized mirror used by artists, connoisseurs of the landscape, and tourists in the 18th century. Named after the landscape painter Claude Lorrain, who was synonymous with the picturesque aesthetic, the Claude glass was a tool through which one looked out upon the world. Whereas the concern in the Romantic period was to frame and transform the world into the sublime aesthetic, this Claude Glass augments through the tools of today inviting one to experience alternate seasons and their distinct characteristics.
The Claude Glass was initiated by Jon Stam out of a brief for the W Hotels Designers of the Future award at Design Miami/ Basel. The commission was to facilitate exchange between local communities and the international visitors who pass through them. Jon Stam traveled to Verbier, a small Swiss village renowned for its world class skiing, where he collaborated with local photographer Guido Perrini. As most tourists only witness Verbier in one season, Claude Glass captures the landscape throughout the year, and provides a medium for a different form of traveling. Debuting at Design Miami/ Basel, Claude Glass brings Verbier to Basel, and the visitor into the picturesque.
The first self-produced and marked edition is limited to six. Materials: darkened glass, steel, LCD, embedded computer, custom software. Dimensions: 100 cm x 12cm.
Other sizes and landscapes available through Victor Hunt Designart Dealer
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