Homo mensura

2020 / Enamelled polyester resin / ⌀ 17 × 0.8 cm

Protagoras’ phrase, “Man is the measure of all things”, suggests that all thought is, by its very nature, anthropometric. In this piece, I have created a peculiar measuring instrument that tries to measure itself. The aim was to prove, following Protagoras’ claim, that the metre and its whole system, some two centuries after its creation, is now just sheer tautology. This has been shown by the successive changes to the metric standard as it adapts to human advancements, and mainly because the metre now seems to define itself, in relation to the speed of light.