Fifty Clocks Made to Strike Together
2026DeepTime Collective (Amanda Evans + Tia Kramer)
Oregon Contemporary Artists’ Biennial, Oregon Contemporary, Portland, OR
Curated by TK Smith
Film by Yahir Tzec Carrasco. Music by Josh Steward and Ashish Zachariah.
In a letter written in 1818 by Founding Father John Adams, he attributes the success of the American Revolution to the strategic unity of the thirteen colonies. Adams wrote, “thirteen clocks were made to strike together—a perfection of mechanism which no artist had ever before effected.” The revolution resulted in the liberation of the thirteen colonies from British rule and the establishment of a singular nation. Two hundred and eight years later, DeepTime Collective members Amanda Leigh Evans (Knoxville, TN) and Tia Kramer (Walla Walla, WA), test if such a feat could occur again and how long the sonic unity can endure. Relying on Adams’ metaphor, Fifty Clocks Made to Strike Together, activates fifty unique mechanical clocks, one clock for each of the current United States. The experiment began with the challenge of sourcing, transporting, and caring for the clocks assembled before you. Combining metaphor, mechanical skill, and luck, the collective takes on the challenge to see if fifty singular states can once again strike on one accord.
Gratitude
Clocks generously provided by the artists, Craig Wollam, Deanna Riffle, and Darr Anderson.
Thank you to the curator of the biennial, TK Smith, for the invitation and for being an incredible human being. Gratitude to Blake Shell at Ox for her work as an arts advocate and institutional leader. Extra special thank you to Dustin Williams for his excellence in exhibition direction.
Photos by Mario Gallucci and Conner Enloe
