Brendan Reilly can create a site-specific clockwork sculpture designed especially for the space the client has in mind, be it private, corporate, or public. It will be a one-of-a-kind work, unique in the world.

After extensive consultations to determine the client’s preferences, and using photographs and measurements or drawings, he will design a clockwork sculpture that complements the setting. He will send a drawing of his design for approval, along with a firm price. He will then build and install the piece personally.

Depending on the site, it could be literally any size. It could be indoors or outside, or enclosed in glass. There are no restrictions. Here are some ideas:

The sculpture can be free standing (like a clock tower or a grandfather clock); wall mounted; suspended from above; or cantilevered out from an existing structure. In large open spaces, multiple dials are an option.

His suppliers can provide him with virtually any species of commercially available hardwood.

In addition to wood, glasswork - either leaded glass or kiln-fired fused glass - can complement the mechanism in creative ways. Designs can be representative or abstract, and Brendan welcomes any themes or concepts that the client may wish to suggest.

Although every clockwork sculpture by Brendan is a true weight-driven mechanical timepiece, a small electric motor can do the winding automatically. It can be powered from a plug in the wall, or it could be driven from batteries recharged by a solar panel. Of course, traditional hand winding is always available.

Brendan has been researching various unusual forms of pendulums, and this is an area with great creative potential. The traditional simple hanging pendulum is always interesting, especially if the site can accommodate a very long one, but this is just the beginning. Compound pendulums – as seen in the Moyer sculpture and Design 14 - incorporate more than one mass (or bob), and they can be vertical, horizontal, or even diagonal. They generally move more slowly than simple pendulums -very slowly- and can be very large. Another idea is the torsional pendulum, which spins back and forth even more slowly. They can take thirty seconds or more to make one swing. A familiar small example is the “anniversary clock”, usually housed under a glass dome. Again, these can be any size. There are examples of all of these types on this site.

Consider also the “kinetic sculpture”, a clockwork mechanism without hands or dials, whose only purpose is to be a moving work of art.

Clockwork sculptures can also make sounds. They can strike the hours and quarters on any sort of bell, gong, drum, tube, whistle, or string imaginable. They can play tunes or strike chords.

While sounds play, various sorts of automata – human, animal, or abstract figures - can move rhythmically, dancing and twirling in time. Imagine the possibilities!

The wheels of the mechanism can be any size. They can be arranged in creative ways. There is no limit!

Contact Brendan Reilly, and the process begins.