Watching snow fall is always a captivating experience, evoking a sense of childlike curiosity. It doesn’t matter if it’s the first snow of the year or artificial snow inside a snow globe, the sight of snowflakes gracefully descending from the sky, gradually covering everything in a layer of white, is simply mesmerizing. Snowfall has the power to fascinate people of all ages. Taking advantage of this fascination, a group of talented designers from South Korea have introduced a captivating new clock called ‘Time to Snow’. This innovative timepiece utilizes styrofoam grains that resemble snow to indicate the time. Encased in a rectangular cuboid, these grains are continuously agitated, creating a captivating miniature blizzard inside the clock. Ingeniously positioned components employ static electricity to capture some of these styrofoam particles, defying gravity as they display the current time. The end result is a clock that delights with its unique approach to timekeeping, surpassing the traditional appeal of snowglobes.
Designers: Baek Sunwoo, Kim Myeongseong, Prof. Lee Woohun
The clock has a camera module on top that enables viewers to interact with it using their presence and gestures. When there are no people nearby, the hardware generates a snowstorm to attract them from a distance. As someone approaches, the snowstorm gradually diminishes until it disappears completely. Then, a brief but intense blizzard occurs, and once it settles, the time of the day is displayed. Viewers can interact with the “snow” particles in the air using hand gestures. Each interaction causes the wind to erase parts of the displayed numbers, revealing new numbers every minute. When the viewers leave, the numbers melt away like snow, and the snowstorm returns to its original state.
The polystyrene particles gracefully dance in the breeze, mirroring the chaos of a snowstorm. The numerical patterns formed by layering these Styrofoam grains create a captivating three-dimensional illusion, imitating how snow accumulates on urban or suburban rooftops and windowsills. This immersive experience transports the viewer into a world of snowy wonder. The formation of the numbers by these particles defies the laws of physics, creating a sense of amazement that enhances the time-telling experience. It follows the clever design practice of ‘form following emotion’, appealing to our curiosity as humans. The interactive element greatly enhances the clock’s user experience, allowing you to engage with the ‘snow’ while indoors!
