This one will make you smile.
In the bustling departure hall of Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, travellers are treated to a surreal and somewhat poetic installation: the Schiphol Clock by Dutch designer Maarten Baas. At first glance, it appears to be an ordinary, oversized analog clock hanging high above the terminal. But look closely, and you’ll notice something extraordinary — the clock's hands are being manually painted and wiped clean by a man inside the face of the clock.
This “man” is actually a 12-hour-long video loop of an actor in a blue jumpsuit, filmed at the terminal by Baas himself. The man appears to be inside the clock, meticulously painting the minute and hour hands in real time. Each minute, he wipes away the old hand and carefully paints the new one, creating a captivating illusion of labor and precision. The result is a functional timepiece that is also a work of performance art, blending the boundaries of design, film and sculpture.
Installed in 2016, the Schiphol Clock is part of Baas’s "Real Time" series, which was launched in April 2009 at the Salone Del Mobile in Milan. The series explores the concept of time not just as a measurement, but as a lived, laborious process. In a world increasingly driven by automation and efficiency, Baas reintroduces the human element into timekeeping — deliberately slow, hands-on, painfully monotonous and slightly absurd. It’s both humorous and contemplative, turning the act of telling time into a form of storytelling.
Schiphol Airport, one of the busiest in Europe, is a fitting location for such a piece. As people rush to meet schedules and departure times, Baas’s clock acts as a quiet counterpoint — a reminder to notice the present moment, to appreciate the rhythms of human effort behind even the most mechanical systems.
The Schiphol Clock has become a beloved feature of the airport, admired for its inventiveness and hypnotic charm. It’s quintessentially Dutch: playful, conceptual, and technically sophisticated. Baas, known for works that challenge design norms and play with theatricality, has created a timepiece that doesn’t just show the time — it performs it.
See also: Swiss Railway Clock [RR1:78]
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References
maartenbaas.com
atlasobscura.com/places/schiphol-clock
Images
1. Schipol Clock, 2016. Photo credit: Thijs Wolzak
2. Schipol Clock. Credit: maartenbaas.com
3. Maarten Baas. Credit: design.udk-berlin.de
4. Grandfather Clock "The Father", Maarten Baas, 2018
5. Paddington Clock, Maarten Baas, 2021
6. Video: "The hands of Maarten Baas' Schiphol clock are drawn on in real time", Dezeen, 2016
