Milan 08: Clock by Christiaan Postma consists of more than 150 synchronised clock mechanisms, which rotate metal bars that briefly align to spell the appropriate time (click to play the movie above to see how it works).
Postma showed the project at Spazio Rossana Orlandi.
“The starting point with this project was a personal study about form and time,” says Postma. “I put together more than 150 individual clockworks and made them work together to become one clock. I show the progress of time by letting the numbers be written in words by the clockworks. Reading clockwise, the time being is visible through a word and readable by the completeness of the word, 12 words from ‘one’ to ‘twelve’.
“The word “three” completely appears when it’s exactly 3 o’clock and will then transform again as time passes. The word “four” begins to appear and at exactly 4 o’clock the word “four” is clearly visible. The word “three” is by then totally vanished and no longer readable.”
The clock measures 140 x 140 cm.
April 28th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
so the time between hours is more about guessing than reading actual time….good for someone who doesnt treat punctuality too seriously;)
anyway, good idea but needs to be developed a bit more
April 28th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
I wonder if it switches time for daylight savings automagically… otherwise it’s a pain in the ass…
April 28th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
i like.
though i wish the numbers were a little neater when aligned.
April 28th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
This isn’t a wrist watch Bob, its a clock. At least one will have an excuse for their lateness.
Nice.
April 28th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
amazing.
it makes me realise even more how time (literally) is so precious.
i like the idea that hours are important, seconds are just a fragment of it; like the “white fragments” that together compose the word (hour)…
lots of narrative on this clock.
love it.
April 28th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
Total genius.
April 28th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
Jaw-dropping!
A poetic, meditative, inventive joy.
My compliments to you, Mr. Postma
April 28th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
i think your time measurement would be more detailed if you just look out of the window and guess it….
something that doesn´t really work can not be design!!
April 28th, 2008 at 10:32 pm
juz FUN …. daz why they dont care whether it works or not
April 28th, 2008 at 11:43 pm
i want one.
April 29th, 2008 at 2:21 am
totally incredible! this must have been such a complicated, time consuming project!
April 29th, 2008 at 7:40 am
lol
April 29th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
I LOVE it! I can’t imagine how long it would have taken to place all the lines for an aesthetically pleasing look at all times…………. bravo!
And – for the naysayers – I can very easily tell what time this says within 15 minutes, which is close enough for me…….. and I bet, with time, I could get to within at least 5 minutes, if not even more precise…… you can tell by the shape of the words next to each other…….. anyway, I’m quite SURE many people have another clock they may even CARRY with them for more accuracy if needed……… such as on a cell phone? Relax! Have some fun, people!
April 30th, 2008 at 2:18 am
Amazing! I think it is the best deconstructivist clock I have ever seen! Time, machine and shape (hands) are like a metaphor of our dynamical and ephemeral life…
April 30th, 2008 at 5:04 am
I think that the idea is really brilliant. But I can tell that for those who do not like the idea of punctuality,they may end up pulling out their hair every now and then when they realise that the letters do not procrastinate!
Brilliant Idea
May 4th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
One suggestion for reading the actual time, only a minute hour may be put to the middle. It will not be recognized easily for those who just saw it, but those who know hoa it works may read the time.
June 27th, 2008 at 11:35 am
Okay, how much?!
November 8th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
great!!!!! ı love different clocks.I live ın turkey.how do ı arrive, this clock?
February 17th, 2009 at 5:17 pm
W-O-W
May 13th, 2009 at 1:13 am
Simply Amazing, congratulations for the great work.