Stamp of Time is an art project collaboration between artists Dave Krugman and Benzi. The centerpiece is an antique IBM work punch clock, made between 1912 and 1930, that Benzi has turned into a digital display. It showcases printed art from Dave Krugman’s collections, including *DRIVE*, *DRIP DROP*, and other one-of-a-kind pieces, all of which tell the story of Dave’s artistic journey.
The project also includes a 2:03-minute video, filmed and edited by Benzi, featuring Dave in his creative process. This blend of an antique clock and modern art creates a truly one-of-a-kind timeless experience."
Dave Krugamn’s Artistic Journey:
My first encounter with photography was a moment of pure magic, and one that I’ll never forget. One day at summer camp, I signed up for a woodworking class- as fate would have it, they overbooked, and suggested I check out the darkroom next door. I waited, curious, at the door- what awaited me on the other side? After a polite knock and permission to open- I stepped into a world I would occupy for the rest of my life.
Red light filled the volume of the space, it was cozy- warm, the sounds of trickling water were hypnotic and soothing, and there was a mysterious alchemy taking place. As if by magic, time itself was stopped and emerged again on paper- silver crystals held in place like the sands of time. I knew I had found the way I wanted to interact with the world- to observe, create beauty, and help the universe to see itself more clearly.
Since that moment, I have chased light, and that feeling, and have found it around each new corner, at the lines where the shadow meets illumination. This chase brought me to the island at the center of the world- New York City, where I found work in every corner of the creative industry. First as a retoucher, then as a freelance photographer, and a social editor for advertising firms. New York had the energy I needed to thrive- a swirling city of circumstance and random collisions, love, joy, pain, heart ache, a grid of endless stories. It also served as an anchor for trips all over the world, returning with thousands of images to work through and edit and share with the audience I had built over the years.
In 2020 I discovered cryptoart and the world changed around me again. We finally had digital objects, and we could fill our digital social spaces with art. Artists could use this space to help fund their creative lives, to build community, to align incentives and push into new space that technology unlocked. I used cryptoart to do all these things, as well as raise funds for my creative community at ALLSHIPS. The path that photography illuminated for me is something I am so grateful for. My grandfather and father were photographers and they collected and kept equipment that I use to this day. The honor of my life has been to continue their legacy and show the world how beautiful life can be, if you take the time to look deeply at every detail.
