Yang Jie
Raffles Place MRT Exit E
Public outdoor work. Accessible at all times.
Reference visual, courtesy of artist
Clock of the Everyday is a kinetic sound sculpture that responds to the rhythms and memories of daily life in Singapore and is inspired by mechanical clocktowers such as the Rathaus Glockenspiel, the Lau Pa Sat clocktower and the Seiko Floral Clock which was once a landmark at Raffles Place Park. Through sounds produced by found objects moving and acting on one another, the sculpture acts as a timekeeper of esoteric rhythms of daily life in the city.
This orchestra of familiar items invites associations with everyday moments, from the quiet morning coffee to the clatter at lunch time to the chatter at tea breaks. Time here is told in the present but also alludes to the past as various vintage objects evoke nostalgia, traditions and memories. In the work, the regularity of workday patterns persists as a timed choreography of movements but is also playfully disrupted as they chime at moments slightly off the norm.
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About the Artist
Credit: Thomas Rusch
Yang Jie is an artist based in Singapore whose practice bridges electronics engineering and sculpture. He draws inspiration from everyday objects and industrial machines, reinterpreting their gestures, traces and functions through kinetic movement and electronics. By transforming found objects into performing sculptures, his work explores how human-made things often take on new and unexpected meanings beyond their original intent. Yang Jie has exhibited internationally, with recent projects including House between The Winds (Singapore International Festival for the Arts, 2025) Traces of Time (Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, 2024), …all the king’s men (Singapore River, 2023) and The Waiting Machine (Comma Space, Singapore, 2020). Other notable works include Sensory Anchors (Esplanade, 2019) and (2011). He has also collaborated with Fiona Tan on Instant Citizen (2016) and Ezzam Rahman on Can I lend you my Umbrella? (2011).