Era study, not the artwork
Timeline
Play art and
technology
history
Tuning in
All 1,147 moments in chronological order. Orange corners have their own live scene. Choose one to put it on stage.
Ways in
One Timeline, six ways to see it.
The same 1,147 moments, rearranged by each view. Choose a way in and watch them move.
- 01 · Explore chronologicallyTime Browse the images on a light table, or move through the chapters on the time axis. Enter Chronology
- 02 · Explore connectionsIdeas Follow shared subjects across twenty-three regions of ideas and discover connections between eras. Enter Ideas
- 03Threads40 movements woven through the chapters.
- 04People1,274 people, placed by the moments they share.
- 05MachinesThe instruments of each era, from the loom to the chain.
- 06TourA self-running broadcast for the sofa or the gallery wall.
Live from the data
The chance door
Leave it to chance.
In 1757 Johann Philipp Kirnberger published a way to compose music with rolls of dice. Roll here and the Timeline deals you one of its 1,147 moments.
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The Timeline, counted
Every number is computed from the Timeline’s own data as this page loads.
Written primarily by Peter Bauman, with contributions from Sasha Stiles and Vuk Ćosić.
Read the history