About the exhibit
At the core of the painting 'Mask 1' lies the idea of balance — not so much mechanical as human and existential. Konstantin Chaykin turns to the rate regulator, a component that in watchmaking serves to adjust the daily rhythm of the movement. In this painting, time appears as a substance that requires constant correction. This range between extremes becomes the central idea of the work, and the regulator itself becomes a metaphor for the human capacity to seek the golden mean between excess and deficiency.
The fan‑shaped plate with the marks "− / ＋" is transformed into a strict bronze visage, where every element retains its technical function while acquiring expressive features. The screws along the edges form the cheekbones and temples, the curved arc of the base conveys the tension of regulation, and the signs "−" and "＋" read as a narrowed and an open eye — two states between which not only the movement but also human perception of time oscillates. The mask‑regulator reminds us that the search for the correct rate is not a technical task but an existential gesture, an eternal attempt to hold onto the moment, not to let it slip away.
Cycle: Universum "Horological Archetypes"
The fan‑shaped plate with the marks "− / ＋" is transformed into a strict bronze visage, where every element retains its technical function while acquiring expressive features. The screws along the edges form the cheekbones and temples, the curved arc of the base conveys the tension of regulation, and the signs "−" and "＋" read as a narrowed and an open eye — two states between which not only the movement but also human perception of time oscillates. The mask‑regulator reminds us that the search for the correct rate is not a technical task but an existential gesture, an eternal attempt to hold onto the moment, not to let it slip away.
In Haute Horology, an idea is resolved into engineering. In artwork, it remains a living thought, captured in the moment.
