2025

10x10x33cm, steel, sand stone, synchronous motor, GKG Bonn (DE)

fc: Simon Vogel

fc: Simon Vogel

'Sand Time' is a compact kinetic sculpture that merges earthy materiality with mechanized motion. Using sandstone and a motor, it creates a subtle, cyclical movement that evokes the slow, inevitable passage of time. Instead of the reversible action of a traditional hourglass, the work introduces a straightforward, linear process in which the material slowly changes state. The sculpture brings two temporal scales into direct relation: the geological formation of the sandstone and the much shorter period required to grind it down by its mechanical setup. As the stone is reduced grain by grain, the sculpture makes both durations physically present without relying on symbolic reset or repetition. Through this setup, 'sand timer' presents time as an accumulated outcome of mechanical action and material response. The work focuses on the interaction between the motor, the stone, and the emerging sand, outlining a simple system where energy, duration, and erosion are made visible through continuous motion.

The work embodies Nika Schmitt's broader exploration of energy, time, and the intersection of organic and engineered processes.