Watch this space for current and upcoming news of all things horological and mechanically interesting, as well as helpful support information for all your fine clocks. NCI is your source for the finest timepieces since 1953.
We found these great new concepts for cuckoo clocks online which were created as part of a contest for forest conservation.
Designer Naoto Fukawasa created a beautiful cuckoo clock using timber removed from over-planted forests. The project was done in conjunction with Isetan, a Japanese department store, and More Trees, an organization that works with forest conservation in Japan and overseas. But the fun didn't stop with just one cuckoo clock. The display consisted of 50 customized interpretations of the clock by 50 different artists and designers from all over Japan. The whimsical and amazing clocks are enough to stop anyone in their tracks.
Here's something I found. I don't quite understand how to read this clock, but it has something to do with the speed that grass grows. If you grow Wheat Grass you can even eat the clippings! Read more at the DesignCrave Blog.
Based on the notion of the inherent benefits of growing grass, the Hour///Gras Living Wall Clock designed by J Yu puts a spin on the typical potted plant using a glass-and-stainless-steel-bodied clock to house your grass or other greenery. The hour and minute hand double as blades that cut the grass to a preset length. You can water through an opening on top. If you decide to grow wheat grass, you can eat the shavings that fall into a bin on the bottom of the clock. If not, you’ll have to clean up after your grass clock while cursing whatever relative purchased it for you. On the plus side, you can finally combine the two thrilling pasttimes of watching grass grow and fixating on the slowly-moving minute hand of your clock.
On this Continue Time clock, two out of the three pointers rotate around another pointer, instead of the central point on the clock face, as with traditional clocks. The resulting kinetic artwork, and functional clock, is continuously changing its shape during a full rotation of twelve hours. While creating mesmerizing patterns on your wall the pointers are still read as with any traditional clock. The Continue Time clock measures 105 centimeters from end to end; a full 12 hours will span a circle of 210 centimeters centimeters of wall.
Jim Seller's made this amazing box full of gorgeously-machined art-widgets as a gift for a friend. It doesn't actually do anything, except make people feel really good looking at the craftsmanship and love involved. Jim wanted to make something in the style of a 19th century scientific instrument. He calls it the ETD (Earth Tremor Detector).
From Robert Frost's Banjo: Today’s poem is by Robert Desnos, a marvelously lyrical poet who was very much a part of the Surrealist movement in the 1920s, but who later broke with the Surrealists (& in particular André Breton). I think you'll agree that “Cuckoo” presents a lovely, fairy-tale like dreamscape. The title might be translated as “Cuckoo-Clock,” (because "coucou" in French also means the clock) but this isn’t the primary meaning, which simply refers to the bird. Of course, as I believe Eberle used to tell her writing students, “if you have a radiator & leopard skin pants, you already have a jungle,” so course you have a cuckoo clock once you have a cuckoo."
Cuckoo
It was all as if in a childlike picture The moon wore an opera hat that eight reflections ricocheted off across the surface of ponds The ghost dressed in a natty shroud Was smoking a cigar at the window of his room At the castlekeep's top story Where the sagacious crow told the cats their fortunes. There was the child in her nightgown lost in the snow's paths Having searched inside her shoes for the silk fan and the high heels There was the conflagration against which, immense, The firemens' shadows stood out, But, above all, there was the fleeing thief, a big sack on his back, On the road the moon whitewashed Escorted by the barking of dogs in the sleeping villages And by the cackling of hens startled awake. I am not rich, said the spectre flicking the ash from his cigar, I am not rich But I'll bet a hundred bucks He'll go far if he keeps it up. Vanity all is vanity, answers the crow. And what about your sister? asked the cats. My sister has beautiful jewels and beautiful spiders In her castle of night. An innumerable mass of servants Comes every night to put her to bed. When she wakes she has a piece of cake, and witchgrass, and a toy trumpet To blow into. The moon laid its top hat on the earth And that made for a dense night Where the ghost dissolved like a sugar cube in coffee. The thief looked a long time for his lost path And wound up falling asleep And nothing was left beyond the earth Except a smoky blue sky where the moon sponged its brow And the lost child who was walking into the stars. Here’s your beautiful fan And your dancing shoes, Your grandmother's corset And rouge for your lips You can dance amidst stars You can dance for the beautiful ladies Across the array of heavenly roses From which one falls each night To reward the sleeper who dreamed the most beautiful dream. Slip on your shoes and lace your corset Put one of these roses in your bodice And some rouge on your lips And now sway your fan So there still may be on earth Nights after days Days after nights
Followers of North Coast Imports know that we are pleased as punch to be introducing an entirely new line of cuckoo clocks in our /design series. These clocks are a marriage of fine tradition with fine arts (and design). We are even planning an ancillary exhibition tour of artworks by the Black Forest artists who are responsible for creating these clocks.
It's good to see that we are not alone in creating a body of artistic work centered around the cuckoo clock. I recently read about The Bird House, a one-act play by Kate Marks receiving its world premiere at Theatre Three.
"The play's action begins in a brightly colored tree house in a land called The Bright Side where Louisy (Cotton Wright) and Syl (Christina Shipp) live in a sheltered ignorance that is decidedly not bliss. Initially, the primary source of their anxiety is that the two birds in their cuckoo clock (named "Cuck" and "Koo") can't be made to stay any longer than it takes for them to sound each hour. Soon, pretty bluebirds are crashing into their windows and ants are marching into the house. The girls can't shut themselves off from the world. Syl eventually leaves for The Lop Side, encountering a war-torn landscape and learning as many life lessons as Louisy, who is left behind in the tree house."
For reasons that will soon become clear to you, we at North Coast Imports, are especially fond of a new sub-genre the kids are all talking about - called Steampunk
I thought I would write up a short blog post about this great thing, but keep in mind that this post only scratches the surface. There are authors, costumers, artists, film directors, hobbiests, tinkerers, and inventors all adding to and building on Steampunkery at an alarming rate. You can read about Steampunk on Wikipedia, of course, but there are also blogs ... and ... web forums aplenty.
"What does a Steampunk do?" You may ask. A Steampunk might collect recordings of turn-of-the-century steam engines. Someone enamored with the Steampunk aesthetic might also turn their humdrum computer into a work of art that looks like it came from Jules Verne's imagination...
...or, a Steampunk might dress the part...
The idea might be summed up as a longing for re-injecting style and beauty into our otherwise cold and artless modern lives. There was a sense of style and craftsmanship of the steam era that might as well be revisited today. Why shouldn't a computer be beautiful? Everyday items should inspire imagination and be aesthetically pleasing while still carrying out their functions.
...so, Steampunk items tend to portray an alternate timeline... as if machines like Charles Babbage'sAnalytical Engine was allowed to evolve in the mainstream of technology, or if the Hindenberg didn't crash, or if the microchip were never invented... our present day might look a lot like the Steampunks' expression - everything would have to be done with clockwork and steam pressure.
...but I feel that the important lesson to be learned is the idea that all things can and must be interesting to look at. Why settle for doldrum-looking devices and tools that only serve the function they must.
Clocks are a perfect example.
Mechanical clocks are interactive works of art that provide a daily function. They are kinetic sculpture. They are tools that don't require electricity to run.
If you're a member of the Steampunk family, browse our website. If you're a horologist, look into the world of Steampunkery. You won't be disappointed...
We are very pleased to announce an entirely NEW line of quality timepieces to the North Coast Imports lineup. Visit www.NorthCoastImports.com/design today to browse many new clocks, designed specifically for the high-style/high-design modern tastes.
Long associated with a very traditional decor, the Black Forest cuckoo clock is undergoing a transformation. Simple and clean lines combine with master craftsmanship to create something for the modern home.
Visit our new site to see colorful new models with a fresh perspective on a clock as a delightful kinetic sculpture that also happens to tell time.
There are also several models called ART CLOCKS which are one-of-a-kind inspirations by Black Forest artists. These special clocks are presented as collectors items and include painterly and artistic creations signed by the artist. There are dozens to choose from.
...and check out these fantastic woodcuts! These special clocks feature an entirely new and creative design with very intricate filigree. Birds and flowers are interwoven into a tapestry of ornamentation.
Even industrial design is included in this broad new range of fine timepieces. Be sure to check out our new additional website, detailing all of these models and more, at www.NorthCoastImports.com/design
