This visual and sound device inspired by the armillary sphere is a direct link with the sky and infinity. It is an invitation to a new way of telling the time which is based on the positioning of the zodiac constellations, in sidereal time which differs from the earthly temporal system. The engraved plaque indicates the position of the stars in the sky in real time for a given place (Geneva) and does a complete rotation every 23 hours and 56 minutes, which corresponds to the time that it takes the earth to rotate on its own axis (a sidereal day). With the help of French astrophysicist Sylvie Vauclair and composer Claude-Samuel Lévine, the device is accompanied by sound obtained from waves emitted by the visible stars. Once assembled and transformed, these waves create a symphony that comes straight from space.

This project was made in collaboration with Jenna Kaes and Renaud Meunier at ECAL. The object exhibited during the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), January 2017.

Image ECAL/Cédric Widmer, Younès Klouche