Perpetuum Calendar for OTHR
Time imagined as form
Perpetuum Calendar is a design object that revisits the way we relate to time through touch and space. Conceived for OTHR, a New York–based studio working with 3D printing technologies, the piece draws inspiration from the industrial architecture of the early twentieth century, particularly the iconic “sawtooth” skylines of factories built in the 1920s and 30s.
The calendar’s base is 3D printed in a fabric-like plastic, evoking the shift toward synthetic materials while gracefully bridging past and present. Its analog mechanism requires human interaction: two gold-plated markers slide gently along numbered tracks for day and month, pushing the user to engage with time in a deliberate and tactile way.
Perpetuum stands as a reminder that time is not merely observed but inhabited. By occupying the desk with an object that requires presence and attention, it takes us away from screens and reconnects us with the physical world, a perpetual piece that never runs out and transforms a quotidian ritual into a thoughtful act.
The interplay between material and form is central to Perpetuum’s identity. The contrast between the soft, 3D printed base and the luminous brilliance of the gold-plated markers creates a subtle dialogue between tactility and precision. This combination underscores the tension between permanence and change, the analog and digital, inviting reflection each time it is set.
