A creative practice exploring time, memory, and the relationship between our lived experience and the physical world

Space of Time

Ideas

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2021

Brand Strategy

Writing

Product Development

Space of Time—named as a play on a “moment in time”—is a consumer brand and community founded and nurtured in partnership with Isabella Marengo. Grounded in an exploration of how our connection to and perception of time—and thus, our connection to and perception of life—can shift depending on how we spend it and what we notice, Space of Time explores these concepts through objects as tools and guided prompts to reframe how an ordinary everyday experience might become one profound. Space of Time is a combination of a brand, community, and way of thinking in celebration of the beauty and poetry that can be found in daily life.

A reverence for nature and an exploration of the senses have informed guiding pillars for the ongoing development of the brand. Seasonal cycles and natural forms structure product concepts and cadence, whether informing the shape of an object, or the ephemeral quality of product collections which can—like the seasons—come, go, and naturally change over time. From the sight of an object's form to the feel of a texture in the hand, each product is explored through the engagement of the senses—often highlighting literal marks of the creator’s hand touch—to intuitively prompt the awareness of space, home, and time through the body. Guided prompts and contextual writings exploring these notions of nature, time, and the senses also form the backbone of the Space of Time brand and allow for continued evolution—informed by the natural cycles of time itself over the course of months and years.

Fig 1.0 Yoko Ono, "Painting to be Stepped On" (1960)

An ongoing reference to art as experience informs touch points for the brand. Pieces by fluxus artists, such as Yoko Ono, inspire the use of simple prompts to create an experience in and of itself.

Fig 2.0 A prompt by Space of Time

"A Moment for Taking" is an ongoing prompt exploration to cue experience through observation. In this case, one from nature: "take notice of a shape of a cloud."

1/2 An object as tool by Space of Time

Developed in-house and through artist collaborations, a selection of limited-edition products are developed to engage the senses through tactile details to prompt the act of taking, noticing, and savoring time. Marrying both concept and use, products are developed as multi-functional tools that are beautiful both in use and on their own.

1/6 A multi-functional incense and candle holder by ceramic artist Ombia Studio, taking functional cues from a sand timer. With the simple gesture of flipping the object, the user is able to change their intent of experience by using the product on either its top and bottom sides.

An annual study on time is developed each year as an exploration of time as concept—a core thread of the brand philosophy. Created as printed matter to function as part-calendar and part-guide, iterations span explorations from the visual representation of time, to thought-starters around the human relationship to the natural cycles of seasons and lunar phases.

1/4 SPACES OF A YEAR: Drawing reference to artist Agnes Martin’s print series, ‘On a Clear Day,’ as well as artist On Kawara’s meditations on time throughout his work, SPACES OF A YEAR explored the visualization of the expansion and contraction of time throughout a year.

Co-Founder and Partner — Isabella Marengo

Photography — David William Baum

Space of Time

Overview

Strategic Approach

Select Work — Objects As Tools

Select Work — Studies on Time

CREDITS