Time To Remember - The Armistice Watch
post Overview
In the latest of our Friday lunchtime talks Jersey Library was delighted to host Pride of Jersey 2018 nominee, artist Mike Etienne.
Fresh from his motorcycle tour across Europe showcasing his sculpture, Time to Remember – The Armistice Watch, Mike told the audience how he came up with this unique and moving piece:
The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 saw the signing of the Ceasefire – The Armistice – to end the horrors of the Great War. This event has become an international time of remembrance, of which this year of 2018 will mark the Centenary. The Armistice was signed in the forest of Compiègne, France, in a railway carriage now known as the Mémorial de l’Armistice.
The Armistice Watch is loosely based on the wristwatches of the Great War, which gained popularity as being easier to read then conventional pocket watches. It aims are to commemorate the 100 years since the signing of the Armistice in the Compègne, and the ceasefire that effectively ended the atrocities of the War. The hope is to evoke remembrance, reflection, respect, reaction, reviewing and response
Reading the Watch
The watch face relates to time. The rear relates to place and the 100 years since the ceasefire. The strap evokes reflection of location in the Great War, secured with old clockwork parts demonstrating the mechanics of time. The mount is ash, made form a felled tree from our property, which reflects the ashes to ashes associated with death.
The Armistice Watch inside the railway carriage on the table used to sign the Armistice at the Musèe de l'Armistice. It will be on show at the Museum for the Centenary.
Dimensions 25 x 28 x 30 cm
Steel, Parchment, Stainless Steel, Glass, Leather
Ash, Glowstars, printed media, Tin, Mount card,
Found items, WW1 shell
The Armistice Watch - The Face
The object is a wristwatch - stylised as a period WW1 watch
Case - classic design
Hands - classic design The face is parchment - important documents
The hands are set at 11:00 am - time of ceasefire
Hour format: 12 = V, 3 = ⊢, 6 = 0 , 9 = ⊣ - easily viewed marks in use during WW1
XI - day = 11th Day
NOV - month = 11th Month : ‘V’ of NOV points to 5:00am - hour of signing
Chapter ring marked in minutes
Chapter ring markings of 12-20 minutes marked in red - time of signing 5:12 - 5:18 with the meeting closed at 5:20am
Dots inside chapter ring at 5:00 and 11:00 in 12 hour format : Dots at 5:00 and 11:00 relate to hours of signing and implementation of ceasefire
Dots on chapter ring in 24 hour format
Chapter ring Bar at 18 minutes: used with imaginary line through centre and to …….
…… 24 hour Dots on chapter ring are 19:00 and 20:00 - used with imaginary line through centre and to make 19:18 and 20:18 - 1918 - 2018 = 100 years
The Jersey Library Friday lunchtime talks run from 1:15pm to 1:45pm, admission is free, please bring your sandwiches. upcoming talks for October include:
12 October: Who am I? Project
Over 90 self-portratis have been created in Jersey by members of the public. People of all ages were invited to explore the question 'Who Am I?', and to create a life size portrait of who they feel they truly are, from the inside out. People expressed their depths and layers that exist on the inside...the colours, emotions, stories drams, feats and aspirations that make each of us unique.
19 October: Anton Myst: a novel by Sean Arnold
Sean (the writer and well-known actor who played Inspector Barney Crozier in Bergerac) will be reading excerpts from his newly completed book and talking about how he went about writing the novel.
