Metronomes

Marking time is a unique and defining element of human existence. We can objectively observe the sun and moon and stars and feel time going by as we age, but marking it, quantifying it, and managing it is something other animals don’t do. That aspect appears to be a completely abstract construct of our consciousness, which, while it defines us, remains utterly unexplainable and mysterious.

Metronome #3

Blown, sculpted, assembled, glass, brass, leather. Kinetic.
13”L / 9”W / 29”H
2014

Based on the design of a mechanical metronome patented in 1891 by the Pinfolds company, these pieces are simple double-pendulums delicately balanced on two points in order to avoid friction, silently marking tempo from around 40 beats per minute to 120+, depending on where the adjustable weight is positioned. Each metronome varies in its movement's duration, but the tempo remains consistent as the movement decays.

Metronome #1

Blown, sculpted, assembled, glass, brass, leather. Kinetic.
12”L / 9”W / 31”H
2013

Metronome #2

Blown, sculpted, assembled, glass, brass, leather. Kinetic.
13”L / 9”W / 29”H
2014

Private collection