A measure of time

January 27, 2006 2:00 PM

The world’s first tidal powered Moon Clock Created as her final year thesis at Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design, Laura Williams' Aluna project has come a long way in the last few years. Supported by Brian Eno (Long Now Foundation, previously discussed here and here), Astronomer Royal Sir Martin Rees and popular (BBC) astronomer Sir Patrick Moore, and originally planned, but ultimately turned down, for Potter's Field Park outside London's City Hall, Aluna - the world’s first tidal powered Moon Clock - is still looking for a home.
posted by urbanwhaleshark (10 comments total)

Very cool.
posted by orthogonality at 2:47 PM on January 27, 2006

I'm waiting for the wristwatch.
posted by palinode at 2:47 PM on January 27, 2006

Thanks, ortho. This post might not have made it without your help.

palinode, it's not quite what you want, but it is geeksome.
posted by urbanwhaleshark at 2:59 PM on January 27, 2006

Wow. That's beautiful. I would love to see this become a reality.
posted by Frisbee Girl at 3:06 PM on January 27, 2006

Where by "moon clock" they mean "shows the phase of the moon by lighting up LEDs" and by "tidal powered" they mean "powered by a tidal power plant located in a nearby ocean."

Which is sad. For some reason, I was imagining a structure sensitive enough that the minute gravitational influence of the moon was enough to move it around. Which is of course absurd. The wind would have a much greater influence on it. I still hoped.
posted by Laen at 3:35 PM on January 27, 2006

urbanwhaleshark, that is a thing of glory.
posted by palinode at 3:36 PM on January 27, 2006

By which I mean the binary wristwatch. Although the tidal clock is quite something as well.
posted by palinode at 3:36 PM on January 27, 2006

Laen: "Which is sad. For some reason, I was imagining a structure sensitive enough that the minute gravitational influence of the moon was enough to move it around."

Ditto. Although, if the ring was in a glass dome, I'd think that would be possible given a large enough ring for maximum water mass to volume ratio.

That's not the real disappointing thing tho... looks like the plans for how it's actually going to work at all are conspicuously lacking.

And this is kind of a joke from the FAQ:

Is Aluna expensive?
We don't think it is.
posted by creeptick at 3:45 PM on January 27, 2006

How will Aluna be paid for?

Aluna will be funded from a variety of sources including financial, materials & technology sponsorship, matched funding, grants, donations and support in kind.

Read: funded by money, free stuff, money, money, your money, and somebody who mows the grass for free.
posted by longsleeves at 4:48 PM on January 27, 2006

Thanks for posting this. I think that it is extraordinary. What I love about it especially is that it would be so magnificent at night, when a lot of people (older folks, children, women by themselves) don’t always feel free or safe to go out on their own. This has the potential to be a public night-time place that feels relatively serene and soothing, like a park does during the day. Funding and sustainability questions always arise (and properly so) around public art proposals. I absolutely don’t see them as reasons dismissing the project – it’s more that they are obstacles that have to be overcome for any project of this scale.
posted by sophieblue at 5:53 PM on January 27, 2006