tokujin yoshioka: cartier time art exhibition at bellerive museum image courtesy of tokujin yoshioka

cartier time art, directed by tokujin yoshioka bellerive museum, ein haus des museum für gestaltung zürich, switzerland august 26, 2011 – november 6, 2011

bellerive museum, ein haus des museum für gestaltung zürich presents ‘cartier time art’, an exhibition of timepieces from french manufacturer cartier and directed by japanese designer tokujin yoshioka. guiding visitors through the company’s legacy of watchmaking, the exhibition showcases the largest number of cartier timepieces ever displayed in public, with 158 historical artifacts from the brand’s collection. the museum bellerive will be the first venue of the exhibition’s international tour.

installation view image courtesy of tokujin yoshioka

dating back as early as 1874, the lineage traces the introduction of 12 movements and 17 fine watchmaking timepieces. it then finishes in the present with the ID-one, a concept watch which offers a look into cartier’s forthcoming productions. the space created by tokujin explains the aesthetic and technological advancements over this time period with projections of 3D films, which enlarge and illuminate the time-telling mechanisms. in this presentation, he blends cartier’s tradition of elegant craftsmanship with its avant-garde ideas for the future.

installation in process image courtesy of tokujin yoshioka

alternate view image courtesy of tokujin yoshioka

detail image courtesy of tokujin yoshioka

large portique mystery clock image © cartier collection, n. welsh

produced in 1923, this clock is one of the oldest timepieces in the exhibition. made primarily from gold, platinum and rock crystal, it is the first in a series of six which were produced in the form of a shinto shrine ‘gate’ and features a double-barrel movement, which can be accessed by removing the billiken figure on top.

cartier ID-one concept watch image © joel von allmen

the ‘cartier ID-one concept watch’ is one of the contemporary watches in the exhibition. not commercially produced as of yet, it has a mechanical movement with automatic winding and thus does not require any adjusting. it is composed of 177 pieces, including a sapphire crystal and caseback, as well as a folding clasp in 18-carat white gold.

exhibition signage image courtesy of tokujin yoshioka

tokujin directed a previous exhibition of the cartier collection, titled ‘memories of cartier creations’, which took place at the tokyo national museum’s hyokeikan gallery in 2009. see designboom’s coverage of the past show here.