Two blinking eyes. That’s what greets you here at the Einen Augenblick Zeit Installation. You’ll find this intriguing piece right by the escalators. The Einen Augenblick Zeit Installation, also known as “The Eyes,” is a piece of Austrian media art history. It was originally installed in 1994 in the old Südbahnhof station.
The artist, Hofstetter Kurt, wanted to capture the fleeting nature of time in a busy urban setting. Two computer-controlled eyes, one male and one female, gaze at each other from within stainless steel hemispheres. The time, accurate to the second, flickers on their pupils, synchronized with the ticking of an old-fashioned alarm clock.
As you ride the escalator, you become part of this exchange of glances. The ticking clock and the blinking eyes seem to measure your own brief moment in this bustling station. The Einen Augenblick Zeit Installation reminds us to pause, even for a split second, and acknowledge the passage of time.