TIMEOUT
visual timer concept
year: 2017
design: Maria Braun
production: Maria Braun
material: brass, acrylic glass, Orafol Fresnel Optics, Arduino compounds
Timeout is an apparatus that encourages users to take a break and switch off from external time pressure, generating instead a more natural, flowing perception of time. The timer in this case is a small projected spotlight, which alters over a certain period of time, becoming smaller, sharper and brighter. The Smartphone serves as the light source. Incorporated into the system, the phone thus loses its influence on the user. It is placed in a special holder, and is slowly moved forward thanks to a small motor. The light is refracted through a lens and the projection changes, and becomes animated.
The round form of the lens and the projection serve as a metaphor for recurring events and an alternative, cyclical and primordial experience of time. When time is up, the small spotlight comes to a standstill. One can restart the timer manually if desired, by pushing the Smartphone holder back into its starting position. Its golden, shiny, brass surfaces lend Timeout the appearance of a precious, mechanical timepiece, which stands out as a stylish home accessory.
