Anonymous, Lilac Clock Bag Buffalo Exchange, 2007, four-part C-print, each 49 × 60 cm, Edition 5/5

The work Anonymous, Lilac Clock Bag Buffalo Exchange consists of four photographs of a round, dark purple leather handbag against a white background in which the dial of a clock is embedded. The images are identical, except for the advancing minute hand of the clock. At first, the hand approaches the time, which is often depicted in advertisements for watches, ten past ten, then it moves away again. The artist herself summarizes her idea for the series as follows: “[…] Since the watch case itself already combines a lot in itself, bag, watch, movement, time, different materials and wearing on the body, I wanted to depict it as reduced as possible. And the simplest way to depict an object objectively is the classic pack shot against a white background, as is often used in advertising. With the hands at ten past ten, the watch looks like a smiling face. The four shots are each taken with exactly one minute difference. There is only one picture in which the hand shows the time at ten past ten. The perfect moment is part of the series. The choice of object and its apparent repetition, as well as the framing of the prints, again break the conventions of advertising photography. You could continue the series and also take 60×12 pictures, but I thought four was enough to understand the idea.” (Interview with Annette Kelm as part of the RAY Fotografieprojekte Frankfurt/RheinMain Photo Triennial)