Sculpted Clock Devours Time

London.- The Science Museum in South Kensington is proud to present "A time-eating clock – a story of invention" on view until October 30th. The centrepiece of the exhibition is Dr John Taylor's 'Midsummer Chronophage Clock", one of only two clocks in the world to show the experience of relative time. Developed by British inventor Dr John C Taylor, the clock is inspired by the idea that everyone experiences time differently. Artkabinett's art collectors social network hopes to view this horologic interplay of engineering and sculpture when visiting London. Alongside the 'Midsummer Chronophage' clock are two important clocks from the history of timekeeping – one of the earliest examples of pioneering clockmakers, the Fromanteel family’s work, and a workshop clock of British clockmaker John Harrison (1693-1776). The 'Midsummer Chronophage' clock is just one invention in Dr John Taylor’s life’s work. His most successful invention, a kettle control, is used 1 billion times every day. The 'Midsummer Chronophage' clock is the second of Dr Taylor's chromophage clocks, following the Corpus Clock, a large sculptural clock outside of the Taylor Library at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. The clock's face is a rippling 24-carat gold-plated stainless steel disc, about 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) in diameter. It has no hands or numbers, but displays the time by opening individual slits in the clock face backlit with blue LEDs; these slits are arranged in three concentric rings displaying hours, minutes, and seconds. The dominating visual feature of both clocks is a sculpture of a grim-looking, devouring, metal insect similar to a grasshopper or locust. The sculpture is actually the clock's escapement. Taylor calls this beast the Chronophage (literally "time eater", from the Greek 'chronos' (time), and 'phago' (I eat). It moves its mouth, appearing to "eat up" the seconds as they pass, and occasionally it "blinks" in seeming satisfaction. The creature's constant motion produces an eerie grinding sound that suits its task. The hour is tolled by the sound of a chain clanking into a small wooden coffin hidden in the back of the clock. Conceived as a work of public art, the Chronophage reminds viewers in a dramatic way of the inevitable passing of time. Taylor deliberately designed it to be "terrifying": "Basically I view time as not on your side. He'll eat up every minute of your life, and as soon as one has gone he's salivating for the next." Others have described it as "hypnotically beautiful and deeply disturbing".