This clock is lovingly made from engraved aluminium plates that overlap, rotating independently as the minutes pass. But can you tell the time using it?
Called the Eclipse Clock, this is the brainchild of University of Art and Design Lausanne graduate Rachel Suming. The 1.5mm thick aluminum plates morphs from a circle into a hexagon over a six-hour period.
So how do you tell the time? Well, first off, every three hours the engraved lines converge to form a number that tells you the time — either 12, three, six or nine. In between times, a subtle arrow hidden in the engraving points in the direction of where you’d expect to find the hour maker on a traditional clock to tell you the time. Suming explains the thinking behind the design:
“We are all affected by the speed of life, the need to be productive at work or to answer to a rigorous schedule. The hands of a clock can become stressful. I was inspired by a specific watch called Philosophia, which was designed to only show the hours. This idea of showing and hiding different notions of time was the starting point for Eclipse.”
There’s no word on whether the clock will be put into production. But, if it is, expect to take a more… relaxed approach to telling time. [Dezeen]