Those things on the wall may look like sculptures, but they’re actually timepieces. Faceless, hands-free clocks from the BGM Project that indicate the time not with numbers, but with the voyages of tiny characters around the perimeter that remind us how repetitive our daily lives are.

Silhouettes of grandmother, grandchild and dog – hours, minutes and seconds, respectively – make their endless voyages around the clock, finding their way through various landscapes only to repeat their journeys over and over. It’s kind of a beautiful idea, but it’s also a little depressing.

Is it an analog for our own lives? Wake, work, home, sleep, repeat – day after day, with the same scenery passing us by. Or is it less of a commentary and more of an art object? Is it telling us to take time in our routines and enjoy the little things, like a warm house and the beauty of nature?

We have to admit, it could have easily been made more depressing by replacing the dog with a baby. Then the three stages of life would be represented and there would be no question about the clock’s intent. But for now, we’ll happily just pretend that it’s not reminding us how quickly the hours are passing us by.