Unequal Hours

Abstract

'Unequal Hours' is a kinetic installation that re-conceptualises the measurement of time. It consists of 25 custom-built clocks programmed to move at different rates specific to various natural, human and technological timescales. Coloured ribbon connecting the clock hands across an interior space activates a moving entanglement of lines, with an accompanying colour code matching the colour of each ribbon to the timescale it references. The installation is accompanied by a project website that hosts a live stream of the installation's progression; an interactive map that provides further research about the timescales represented; and an audio component that 'chimes' corresponding to the historic measurement of time as 'unequal hours'. It filled a 10 x 5 metre glass-walled gallery space directly facing Canberra's Civic Square for five month and was viewable 24 hours a day, every day, on site and online. The research process included the design and construction of each clock and it's connecting ribbons through custom fabrication and programming using electronic circuit boards and stepper motors, and the coding and production of the sonic and digital components. This research was developed over a period of 18 months.