The Time-Eating Clock: A Story of Invention

A display of the 'time-eating' Chronophage clock, designed by Dr John Taylor, shown alongside an original Harrison clock. Like its sister clock, permanently installed outside Corpus Christi College Library, Cambridge University, Taylor's giant kinetic clock shows time in a way that causes viewers to reflect on the nature of time measurement and our perception of it. Some minutes race by, others drag, some disappear and others appear to stand still. Every five minutes the clock 'corrects' itself and accurate time is shown through light slits. Walking on top of the golden face is a kinetic sculpture of a mythical creature. The hour is tolled by the sound of a chain clanking into a small wooden coffin concealed in the back of the clock.