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In this work, I appropriate the well-known object of the hourglass—a personification of time passing and its measurement—to create a new situation. Traditionally, the hourglass represents the present, suspended between past and future, and has long been an enduring symbol of time itself. It is often depicted as a reminder that human existence is fleeting, and that the “sands of time” will run out for every life.

In my oversized hourglass, however, the delicate sand or powdered marble is replaced by large, heavy stones that cannot pass through the narrow connection between the two glass bulbs. The stones remain suspended indefinitely in the interval between past and future. The elegance and balance of the hourglass is disrupted by the stones’ position, which even breaks the glass. Normally, once the top bulb is empty, the hourglass can be inverted to begin again—but here, no time passes.

This work addresses multiple layers of meaning. On one level, it evokes the heavy and perplexing history of the region I inhabit. On another, it speaks to the intimate and private histories that exist within each of us.

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photo credit Duško MIjanić