The installation is a multitude of clocks that are all showing the same time but with different types of displays, you can see the full list here: Versions of Now
Now that I’m back from EMF, I don’t really have anywhere to hang it at home, so I wanted to figure out if there’s another space where it could live long-term, rather than dismantling it.
Of course I thought of SLMS because (1) I think it could be a cool demo for visitors of what you can build with electronics and 3D printing and (2) SLMS members gave me useful advice and helped me fix my installation when I made a mistake and fried some SMD components which I had no idea how to replace.
I guess ultimate approval for this needs to come from @directors but if anyone else wants to give a thumbs up/down or ask questions then I’m happy to chat.
In terms of logistics/impact:
It’s all built around a 76 x56 cm IKEA pegboard, at EMF it was clamped to a table but we could definitely find a way to hang it on a wall
It just needs 1 socket to connect to electricity
It uses WiFI to periodically synchronise the time but doesn’t otherwise generate a lot of network traffic
Most of the displays obviously emit some light, but could be made to switch off at night/respect some quiet times if needed.
There are 2 things that make some noise:
The flip-digit (B&W 7-segment) display makes a light click sound every minute as the digits change - I don’t think this will be audible as there’s normally more noisy things in the space
The telephone handset is playing a speaking clock on a loop, there is some sound leakage, which you can hear if it’s very quiet. Depending on where this gets installed it might not make sense to have the handset anyway, or I could find a way to mute the sound until the handset is picked up.
It shouldn’t need any maintenance but if something breaks/stops working I’ll be happy to fix it (as long as I notice it or someone reports it)
I would like to keep the option to remove it and show it at other festivals/events but otherwise I’m happy for it to stay at the space.
I’m innundated with tasks at the moment… I will try and address this in the next few days. Thanks for the heads up @Lia … I may need some help with the risk assessment protocol.
Perhaps with a dust enclosure, it could take up a little space in one of the lathe area windows, facing outward to the public? This might render the audio handset clock useless, though.
This looks really cool, would be great to have in the space but I’m not sure I’m the right person to tag here
I’m not involved in the gallery space; I saw @Riggerz has already responded and I’m sure, if he is able to accommodate this in his gallery space plans he will.
@nhjansen mentioned the woodshop window which isn’t really something I’ve thought about at this point, personally I feel its current state with the wood turning samples and the view of the woodshop is already reflective of the area and allows light into the space as well as a good view inside for passers-by, because of this my focus so far has been solely on the Arch 1 windows, which I will post an update on later this week.
We could certainly look at it being a featured piece in an Arch 1 window at some point for a defined period of time, but the goal is for the Arch 1 windows to be frequently updated so long term display wouldn’t be possible here at this time.
It’s always great to have area-specific pieces when showing people around so perhaps, given the nature of the piece, it may be something @electrotechs might have a suitable spot for long term?
Thanks all, I tend to agree that putting it somehow above/near the electronics area might be the best idea.
I’m not sure I’d put it facing outside, it would cover a substantial portion of the window and would block a lot of light from coming in (also, the ePaper display might need some extra protection, they don’t like the direct sunlight/UV).
I also wouldn’t worry about the phone handset being usable - it’s not an integral part of the installation, and the whole installation is meant to be modular anyway.
After chatting wih @mia I hoped we might be able to display this in the window for a month or so until Electronics can accommodate but I just checked and the measurements would not fit the window that is earmarked for this type of project.
@futureshape if, given that it is modular, there is some way it could be altered to be in portrait rather than landscape and we could find a way to overcome the Sunlight /UV issue (such as a filtered window film?) please let me know.
… I may need some help with the risk assessment protocol.