I’m a big Star Trek fan. I mean big time. I watched the original series in the 60s with my parents. Then came the Next Generation in the 80s. Voyager in the 90s. Deep Space Nine in the 90s. Enterprise from 2001-2005. When the J.J. Abrams movie came out 3 years ago, I went on opening night. So, you get the picture.
Anyway, they’re always talking about the Spacetime Continuum. You can read the technical definition here but it basically refers to an event as it relates to a point in space and time, with the 3 dimensions of length, width and height (space) and the 1 dimension of time.
A moment in time and where it is located.
I’ve been reading some interesting theories about the concept of time, in particular, the work of John William Dunne, an Irish aeronautical engineer who conducted some experiments with his precognitive dreams and then wrote a book about it in 1927, An Experiment with Time. Dunne posits that past, present and future are all happening simultaneously. We can only “see” the present time because that is what our human consciousness is meant to see. However, when we are unconscious in a dreamstate, our human consciousness is unrestricted and we are able to traverse all of time.
For this Star Trek fan, this is all quite fascinating stuff.
As my mind has been mulling over these ideas about time and spacetime, my imagination has been inspired to manifest this bracelet which I have aptly named “Spacetime”. Created in the shape of a watch, the “face” shows a 3-color pattern representing past, present and future instead of a fixed moment in time as a “normal” watch does.
The “face” is a polymer clay lentil bead with a crushed ikat cane pattern. I believe that Donna Kato is the originator of this cane. I learned how to create this cane from a demo at one of my polymer clay guild meetings. If you’re interested in seeing how it’s created, I found this tutorial by Mia Rox.
I beaded a bezel around the lentil bead using size 11 and 15 seed beads. The “strap” is brick stitch. I puzzled over what to do for the clasp for several weeks. One evening I happened to pick up my copy of Kate McKinnon’s “The Jewelry Architect” and there it was. Kate calls it the “Ram’s Horn Clasp”. It is positively brilliant! Thank you for your inspiration, Kate. I tweaked mine a bit from the original design. The spiral is a universal symbol found in nature and art and I have always been fascinated with its non-linear shape. Perhaps it also speaks of the abstractness of time?
So here I am, still beading and contemplating the nature of the universe…
As always, thanks for visiting!
Art and Tea 
Karen.. how many passionate words can I use about your work? This is so amazing. It reminds me of a watch that shows the base sounds of someones voice, as if you were talking into it? Does that makes sense. Anway, just incredible details.. You really rocked this one. I know you are not crazy about the whole selling process, but I think these pieces would give others so much pleasure (besides you, of course). Just sayin.
Thanks Judy! Yes, with this piece, I feel like I really let my inner nerd express itself, lol. Glad to hear that you like the piece and, as always, your spirited feedback is essential to my creative life, my dear friend.
Karen–your lentil bead reminds me of bargello–in needlepoint–marvelous and very creative. I also love your juxtaposition of the large central bead with the tiny encircling beads–reminds me that time is a large wheel, but simultaneously broken into minute fragments. Thank you for sharing your work here.
Thanks for your wonderful comments, Priscilla. I love what you said about time being a large wheel and relating it to the seed beads in the bezel. And how synchronistic that I’m presently reading the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan!
gorgeous piece.
[…] The polymer clay lentil beads were formed from a caned sheet I had made after a demo at a polymer clay guild meeting a couple of years ago. I used one of those beads in my “Spacetime” bracelet, posted about here. […]
I love this bold piece ❤
The ideas behind your pieces are so interesting. The whole space time thing blows my mind. My husband loves that stuff and is always trying to understand it/read up on it and then explain it to little old me. I still don’t get it, ha ha! Boy, is it complicated. Maybe one day I can emerge from the fuzz that is my brain and understand 😉
Thanks so much for your kind feedback, Kyly!
Thanks for all the eye candy and the accompanying thought provoking narrative 😉