Brendan Reilly donated this clockwork sculpture to the University of Waterloo, located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The site is high on the wall of the Great Hall in the Davis Centre building.

Brendan states, “I chose this site because I have always liked the spacious feel of this building. In addition, the architect has left its inner workings open to view, as I do in my work. However, I felt the sculpture would provide a welcome contrast with the inorganic concrete and steel surfaces of the building. Also, the slow movement of the pendulum and wheels provides a calming effect in a building full of hustle and bustle.”

The following is a quote from the University of Waterloo Dean of Engineering, Dr. Sujeet J. Chaudhuri:

“The simple yet elegant design of the clock and the precision with which it keeps time will, we hope, provide to our students a subtle reminder of the core traits of our disciplines.

I believe the clock has added significantly to the environment of the Davis Centre. It will remain a sentinel witness to the many innovations and progress at the University of Waterloo for a long time in the future.”

Description:

The sculpture is large, in proportion to its setting. The large wheel is three feet (90 cm) in diameter, and the pendulum is fourteen feet (4 metres) long. The dial is six feet five inches (2 metres) in diameter.

In terms of clockwork, it is very simple, with only two wheels in the power train (most mechanical clocks have four or five). It makes use of twenty-two ball bearings to reduce wear and friction and to provide long, maintenance free operation. It is designed for a life measured in centuries.

Woods: The frame is black walnut. The works (wheels, etc.) are laminated Baltic birch, which is dimensionally stable. The dial is red oak with African Blackwood inlay for the markers. The hands are also African Blackwood.

Pendulum: Fourteen feet long, this pendulum takes two seconds to make a swing. At the base is thirty-five pounds of lead with a blue ceramic raku-fired pendulum bob cover, the work of potter Patsy O’Connell.

Weights and winding: The mechanism is wound by an electric motor activated by switches triggered by the movement of the weights. The system used is the endless loop type invented by the Dutch scientist Huygens in the seventeenth century. This system maintains power to the clock while it is being wound.

Escapement: This mechanism keeps the pendulum in motion. It is a variation of the “grasshopper” escapement invented by John Harrison, who also developed the marine chronometer.

All designs and design concepts used in this work are original to Brendan Reilly. Every component of this work was hand crafted by Brendan Reilly, with the exception of the pendulum bob cover by potter Patsy O’Connell.