Meet the Artist: Yorame Mevorach (Oyoram)

An exciting new 3D LED public art installation is in Downtown Des Moines (DSM). TimePiece by Oyoram displays real time, and at the top of each hour, its digital mechanical arm springs to life, removing and replacing a clock face through art and technology. Yorame Mevorach (known professionally as Oyoram) is based in Downtown DSM’s Historic Sherman Hill district and also works from a studio in Paris, France. It was in Paris where he found the inspiration for TimePiece, where visitors stopped to observe the lights of the Eiffel Tower each hour.

About the TimePiece Installation in Downtown Des Moines

Visitors and residents in Downtown DSM are invited to the Western Gateway neighborhood to see TimePiece by Oyoram, which is located at The Fitch Building, facing the John & Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park.

At 15, 30 and 45 minutes, TimePiece offers small visual moments of joy. At the top of each hour, the full experience of TimePiece is revealed, along with a new face of time.

“The hour we are spending will vanish, leaving behind only a memory,” Oyoram says. “If we meet again, we will have another hour, but this one will be gone. Time isn’t something you simply spend. It’s something precious, something to value.”

Thanks to the effort of Greater Des Moines (DSM) collaborators, TimePiece acts as a reminder that time is a gift. The following collaborators have made this art display possible:

• Operation Downtown in partnership with the Greater Des Moines Partnership
• Prairie Meadows
• Bravo Greater Des Moines
• MidAmerican Energy Foundation
• Downtown DSM, Inc.
• Private donors
• Substance Architecture (in-kind contribution)
• Christensen Development (in-kind contribution)
• Oyoram (in-kind contribution)

Below is a glimpse at what TimePiece is all about! Check it out:

Other Artwork by Oyoram

Oyoram has created other art that has been and can be found in both DSM and across the world. His hope is to create a gallery for immersive art installations that hosts works by visual artists both in DSM and Paris. In DSM, Oyoram has worked with organizations like Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines Metro Opera and World Food Prize Hall of Laureates, while around the world, Oyoram has worked with the likes of Dior, Louis Vuitton and Sony. 

In Greater Des Moines (DSM)

Oyoram's other DSM art pieces include:

• Hulking Giants shows on both corners of Oyoram’s Downtown DSM studio and are in motion 24/7. This display faces Hoyt Sherman Place, the Sherman Hill district’s historic theater, and is visible on 16th Street and Woodland Avenue. Learn more about Hulking Giants.
• Mental Banquet: Painting with Lights was a temporary art project coinciding with World Food Day on Oct. 14, 2018. Mental Banquet used 3D video mapping technology on the outside of the World Food Prize Hall of Laureates along the Des Moines River, collaborating with Rhakeem Alpoe (aka Shaquille Phillips), Jack Gallup and Melvin Veach on an accompanying musical score. Learn more about Mental Banquet: Painting with Lights.
• Le Ring, built in 2019 at Oyoram’s Sherman Hill studio, had visitors exploring a video installation featuring 15 vertical LED panels and one unmounted. Learn more about Le Ring.
• 7even Stories High: Immersive, a 2022 Des Moines Art Center display, includes LED monitors that create an elevator simulation where viewers ascend seven stories visually. Learn more about Immersive.
• Oyoram created a high-tech set for Des Moines Metro Opera’s premier of Bluebeard’s Castle in 2023.
• Visual composer for Des Moines Metro Opera's The Cunning Little Vixen in 2025. 

Around the Globe

Oyoram’s recent international projects include:

• Swim the curved infinity pool amidst Oyoram’s reflections at Cheval Blanc Spa in Paris. Learn more about Cheval Blanc Spa in Paris.
• Tiffany & Co.’s Landmark store in New York City boasts Oyoram’s Immersive Moving Fresco. Learn more about Tiffany & Co.’s Landmark store.

Learn more about Oyoram at dsmpublicartfoundation.org.

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