TIME ART: Cartier is about art that knows no time barrier to its innovations.
CARTIER is not just about expensive and luxurious watches but also art that knows no time barrier to its innovation.
Cartier, born from the marriage between imagination and creativity, presents a unique masterpiece where time becomes an art – a timeless art.
Pierre Rainero
It’s the result of Louis Cartier’s vision and the long love affair between him and his creations began in 1888.
Made with simplicity and stylish aesthetic, every timepiece comes from a different time and place, and tells a remarkable story of its period and the people who influenced it.
From Dec 14, 2011 to Feb 12, 2012, the ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands (MBS) presented the Cartier Time Art, an exceptional exhibition taking visitors on a journey to the heart of Cartier watch-making.
The Museum is the first venue in Asia to host this exhibition where the largest ever collection of Cartier timepieces goes on public display.
According to Pierre Rainero, Cartier Image, Style and Heritage director, visitors can discover 12 different new movements of Cartier at the exhibition.
He described the exhibition as “very original” since it was the first time a Cartier exhibition had been dedicated to watches and clocks.
With its sensitivity and intelligent approach, the exhibition goes beyond the designer concept to the message it is trying to convey to the public.
External vision
SPECIAL: A large ‘Portique’ mystery clock.
Today, the Cartier exhibition has over 1,400 items consisting of jewellery, watches and clocks, precious objects and accessories such as decorative objects and the like.
“The decision taken at that time was not to create our own museum but to make this collection available to all cultural institutions in the world. It’s not our role to project our own vision on our creations,” Rainero pointed out.
As important as the main vision is, he believes it is important to have an external vision through exhibitions where there is always a developed angle, a different vision, and it also shows the richness of Cartier pieces.
Meanwhile, in line with the ArtScience movement, Artscience Museum director Tom Zaller said it was important for the museum to be part of the exhibition.
He added that this allowed people to see how art and science were accomplished in the innovation, and discover the heritage of Cartier.
“Since we opened the ArtScience Museum, its brand name, people are not necessarily sure what it is and so we need to constantly figure out ways to engage the public in Singapore or Southeast Asia in general.
“So here, we are talking about curiosity, inspiration and the expression of that inspiration and I think this works for the Cartier heritage. Tokujin Yoshioka’s work is a great example of the marriage between the two components of art and science. You can see this in everyday life.”
Tokujin Yoshioka is the curator for the exhibition.
On what the public would take away from the exhibition, Rainero said there were many – the innovation, the aesthetic evolution, Cartier’s style and the history of each of its creations.
Zaller hoped visitors could feel an inspiration beyond a piece of jewellery.
He said a lot of thoughts and processes went into the innovation of this new technique.
“I hope people are inspired to look at things in a different way and see the connection between art and science.”
Tokujin got the inspiration to design the exhibition in October 2010, saying it was not so much the watch making than the watch coming to life.
“It’s very close to your senses – so one of the concepts of the exhibition of this fine art is for the visitors to feel these senses and experience what the exhibition is trying to convey,” he said.
Meanwhile, Cartier is famous for its mystery clocks – so called because there’s no link or leg between the hands and the movements. It’s just like floating hands in the block of white crystal.
Rainero said the first mystery clock was created in 1912 and the design was like a block of crystal on a solid base.
“Then many different models appeared through the years and they are very precious. The movements are very refined because of the epic term of Cartier’s very vision in fine watch-making.
“We are very dedicated aesthetically and sophisticated technically,” he enthused.
He believed that was why the mystery clocks were very precious, perhaps the most precious in the market.
The choice venue
STARTING POINT: The watch-maker’s bench.
Rainero said Singapore was chosen because it had developed the most important and accurate culture around fine watch-making.
“And also, within Southeast Asia, I think Singapore has a very important position as a hub, not only in terms of the economy but also the culture. So that’s why I think Singapore is a very good venue for this exhibition.”
He added that the exhibition was organised in a different way to suit its different premises, spaces and locations.
“It’s organised to go round in a circle and divided into many different spaces. It has different stages to allow the public to go through the different periods in the history of Cartier watch-making.
“It also allows us to discover the different innovations because the originality of Cartier in watch-making is that very specific combination of the aesthetic and the high quality of the technique.”
This, he said, served as one of the most important points in the exhibition – the continuity of the vision of Cartier in watch-making.
According to him, even though Cartier was born in 1847, the first watch (which is the clock) appeared in 1853.
The oldest piece at the exhibition dated back to 1874 and visitors can expect to see the evolution through the entire Celtic century with the specific clock in the 1920’s where many complicated movements appeared in Cartier.
When Cartier collections started more than 30 years ago, it was the aspiration of the team to tell their vision on the styles and creations. And in this, the company purchased items from auctions and private sectors.