Daniel Arsham breaks down the concepts of time

Russell Sheldrake

Daniel Arsham is one of those artists who is near impossible to define wholly. His multidisciplinary approach to his work means that he can apply himself to just about anything, and it will always be instantly recognisable as an Arsham.

This is what makes him so interesting as a podcast guest for our new episode of Watches And, where Arsham and Andrew sit down and talk about broad concepts of time, Arsham’s history with watches, and what exactly it is that he does for a living.

We should prefix this episode by saying that it was recorded at the time when Arsham was unveiling his snow-made sundial in Zermatt, in collaboration with Hublot. All the talk at this event was if or when Arsham would release a watch with the brand, as the two seemed to be a natural pairing to create something outlandish and daring. Of course, we now know that Arsham and Hublot have collaborated on a pocket watch made entirely out of sapphire crystal, called the Droplet. But this is the project you will hear Arsham teasing in the interview.

As Arsham and Andrew sit in the snowy peaks of Zermatt, they discuss how so much of Arsham’s art is linked to time, as he plays around with the perception of it in his physical and digital works. We also learn about Arsham’s history with watches – his first watch was a transparent Swatch – and he has a small collection now, but he readily admits he’s not a watch guy, even though he owns a few watches made by his and Andrew’s mutual friend, George Bamford.

As always, this episode is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube, where you can also discover all of our previous episodes where we talk about watches and something else – whether it’s art, design, tattoos, and everything in between. Make sure you’re subscribed on whichever platform you use, to make sure you never miss an episode.