Katarzyna Dubec

„ Some day all museums will become department stores and all stores will become museums“

Andy Warhol

The challenge of the project was to deconstruct the institution of a museum and distribute its contents throughout the city. ‘Timescapes’ started with the Museum of London and its collection of time keeping devices, which are symbolic of mysteries and paradoxes of time. The retail partner for the 17th, 18th and 19th century watches would be Swatch, one of the biggest and most influential Swiss watchmaking brands, which revolutionised the market in the 1980s.

The proposal is to create an experiential space located in the heart of commercial London, just off Oxford Street, that would lure the masses with the pretence of another retail activity that would surprisingly  offer a contemplative reflection on the history and perception of time.

‘Timescapes’ tells a story of how timekeeping changed and structured people’s lives locking them up in the grid of passing hours and actions planned minute by minute. The story is non-linear, it takes visitors through moments in history that were particularly interesting or revolutionary using layered projections as the main means of communication augmenting artefacts from the Museum of London that represent each carefully curated story. The final part of the experience is a spectacular space dedicated to Swatch. It is located within an egg-shaped structure suspended in the grid. The intention is to create a powerful contrast from the controlled external environment and capture a feeling of being “in between“ time and space where you can enjoy the colours and timelessness of Swatch products without feeling the pressure of everyday life.