Horologically Inspired Kinetic Sculpture
Isochronal Awakening
The escapement used in Isochronal is a sculptural variation on the Grasshopper escapement, invented by the British clockmaker John Harrison around 1722 and used in several of his famous sea clocks.
Made for a client in Finland Isochronal Awakening was my first venture into the world of Grasshopper escapements. Already sculptural by nature the Grasshopper escapement geometry lends itself very well to interpretation.
Typical Grasshopper escapements use hooks on the ends of the pallets to arrest the escape wheel but it occurred to me early on exploring the escapement that pins catching shallow teeth worked just as well and so I’ve used that format since.
The work features a mix of freehand and machine applied perlage patterning. The battery-driven winding system, which rewinds suspended magnetic balls, is automatic and operates every 2.5 minutes.
Details:
Grasshopper escapement. Automatic winding.
Overall Dimensions: IN: 21.5W 11D 69H CM: 55W 28D 175H
Philip Abernathy
Over the coming months examples of Philips work will be posted along with the motivation behind each piece. To learn more about Philip https://www.philabernethy.com/