In the founding period of the 19th century, society underwent a profound change, characterized by industrial revolution, technological progress and social upheaval. In this era, the concept of time also took on a new dimension and became a decisive factor in the shaping of human resources.
Those who controlled time not only gained power over production processes, but also over people’s lives. As anthropologist Laura Wehr writes: “Time is one of the most effective measures of social control”. This link between time and power manifested itself in the way working time, efficiency and discipline were defined and managed in emerging industrial societies.
The artists in the exhibition explore the phenomenon of time in the 19th and 21st centuries. The works deal with the themes of time, power and control on a social, physical and individual level. A number of the exhibited works deal sculpturally and graphically with global politics, such as how the world was divided into time zones in 1884. Another group deals with themes such as the conditioning of the body, self-control and strict upbringing in childhood.
The exhibition interweaves with the historical collection and relates historical objects to contemporary positions. The juxtaposition of historical testimonies and artistic interventions creates a differentiated view of the time culture of our present – and thus also of possible futures beyond dominant time regimes. The exhibition invites visitors to reflect critically on who exercises power over our time today and what alternatives are conceivable.