Imprints Of Time

My father began buying me watches when I was five, creating an unspoken loving ritual between us. Every few years, when a watch wore out, he would replace it with a new one. The watch featured in this work was his last gift to me five years ago, which I wore daily until it became worn out. When I told my recent ex-partner about this ritual, he bought me an expensive watch that could last 10-12 years, effectively ending the tradition with my father. After the relationship ended, this watch ceremony became even more emotionally charged. I dismantled the original watch, created molds of its tiny parts using Pinkysil, and cast ghostly replicas in clear resin. The smallest components were embedded within some pieces while others were replicated entirely. I presented these alongside the box from my ex-partner's watch, creating a contrast between old and new, intimate and commercial. The work's intimate scale reflects the personal nature of this experience. Through this process, the artwork became both a celebration of the end of my father's ritual and a goodbye to that chapter of our relationship—preserving the memory while acknowledging its transformation.