Long Now co-founder Danny Hillis was recently interviewed by e-flux for its Digital X collaboration with the Norman Foster Foundation. He spoke about his inspiration and process for building the 10,000 Year Clock, as well as the value of long-term thinking.
The value of the clock is mostly in thinking about it. Civilization goes back 10,000 years, so this can help think about what the Earth will be like 10,000 years from now. I ultimately think stories are the things that last the longest. And to be a story, it has to have an element of mystery to it. The thing about monuments is that they tend to be very bounded by what they are. They’re very understandable. I mean, you look at a statute and you’ve seen it, that’s it. That was the opposite of what I was trying to do with the clock. I wanted to make it engage you and pull you into it; to make it something that you can never quite entirely get your mind around.
Via e-flux.
