Clock, wood, plastic laminates and clock movement, 'Metropole', by George J. Sowden, designed and made for Memphis, Italy, 1982.

V&A — Summary

George J. Sowden studied architecture at the Gloucester School of Art and later started to work in London as an architect. After reading one of Ettore Sottsass’s articles he wrote a letter to Sottsass who invited him to Milan. Sowden became a core, and the only British member of Memphis. The ‘Metropole’ clock is one of his best known designs for the group. Influenced by his early architectural training, Sowden was interested in classical proportions at the time. As a result the clock is unusually harmonious for a postmodern object. Sowden used the ‘golden section’ – derived ratios and squares as compositional elements. However, the small clock movement is in an unnecessarily huge box. As Sowden himself described, its anti-functionalism makes the ‘Metropole’ clock a postmodern object. The clock was designed ‘on the kitchen table’, without the use of computer. Sowden chose particular patterns of plastic laminate to decorate the form. Like many other early Memphis objects, the ‘Metropole’ clock was named after a luxury hotel.

V&A — Physical description

Wooden clock in a plastic laminate box, based on a series of squares. The rectangular upper box holds the clock movement, the dial is on the front side. It rests on 3 cubes under each other, covered with plastic laminates with the same pattern. The lower cube is always of a smaller size than the upper one. The base is a square block, covered with black plastic laminate. There is a square plate under each cube. The one under the upper cube is black and supported by four legs, projecting from the base. The plate under the middle cube is green, under the lower cube yellow. It is supported by four pink cylindrical poles standing on small rectangular boxes projecting from the base. The clock arrived at the Museum in its original wooden Memphis shipping crate.

V&A — Object history

The 'Metropole' clock is George J. Sowden's best known design for Memphis. It was featured in Andrea Branzi's book ('Hot House') on Italian radical design. Sowden used squares as compositional elements and classical 'golden section' ratios. The clock is unusually harmonious for a postmodern object. Influenced by his early architectural training he was interested in classical proportions when he designed the clock (as he recalled in an interview by Glenn Adamson, 22 February 2010). The object was first drawn 'on the kitchen table'. He chose particular patterns of plastic laminate to decorate the form. The plastic laminates were made by Abet Laminati, a laminate factory which worked often with Memphis. Like other early Memphis-objects, the clock is named for a luxury hotel. Historical significance: The clock is postmodernist in its anti-functionalism. The upper box of the clock is unnecessarily large for the small mechanism inside. It was the departure from the modernist principles that Sowden had studied.

V&A — Production note

Designed for Memphis