The passage of time

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Miki Eleta - The passage of time

The passage of time, Table clock, No. 37, Miki Eleta 2020

Man is ephemeral, time is infinite.

The walking figure, a symbol of modern man, is always in motion and yet does not come from the spot. It has researched and measured time and space, and yet it remains small in view of infinity. About every 20 seconds, the figure lifts its left arm and lowers its head to read the time. The figure is a mechanical machine with an own drive.

In front of the figure, a symbol rotates on a windscreen axis, formed by an X and a S.
X stands for Chronos (Greek for time). The letter S forms an 8 due to the rapid rotation, symbol for infinity.

The clock features the following displays: a retrograde minute display on the right with a blue background. The hour is shown on the left on a rotating, skeletonized dial. The small sun and moon symbols indicate the day and night hours. The days of the week with their planetary symbols (sun, moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn) are indicated on the smallest skeletonized disc on the right above the center. The time of day can also be read here as the days of the week shift in quarter steps.

The large skeletonized disk rotates 1/365 per day. The silver hand on the left above the hour disc indicates the date, the constellations and the change of the zodiac signs. In the inner circle, agricultural activities are shown through the course of the year.

The three-dimensional representation of the moon phase on the left behind the large disc must be corrected every 128 years. A skeletonized globe rotates above it displaying the world time, represented by 24 meridians.

The sun symbol shows the position of the sun as it appears seen from the earth over the course of a year (ecliptic). It rises or falls by 1/365 per day due to the rotation of the large disc.

The clock features an Eleta escapement.

Technical specifications

Height: 70 cm
Width: 44 cm
Depth: 30 cm
Weight: about 20 kg
Power reserve: 8 days

Materials: gold-plated brass, chrome-plated brass, lapis lazuli, mother-of-pearl, blue and red glass.

All parts were handcrafted from brass and steel by Miki Eleta and then gilded or chrome-plated. Construction time: 10 months.

March 2020