Zeus – “My Favourite” The Iron Clocks

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I think of this Iron Clock as my “show stopper”.galleryzeuslarge

The third in this series of clocks, it was to be my tallest and heaviest by far …and it had to be ready in time to be shown at an important exhibition. I’m glad to say that I finished it just in time.

To create its huge form, I made some rough calculations on paper, scaling up the dimensions of the previous two Iron Clocks. But then I put the figures to one side, because I work much better by intuition.

My main point of reference is the human form – you’ll see that the proportions of all my Iron Clocks fit the proportions of people. For example, my clocks flex at the “neck” and tilt at “waist” height.

I decided to take several creative chances with this big clock. My original inspiration for the series was – believe it or not – the creases in our bedroom curtains. At some point in the middle of one night, I studied how the material folds and overlaps, and I knew that I wanted to add this effect to my iron creations.

For the first time, I added this creased effect to the base of this Iron Clock…and I also decided to make one side of the “head” very distorted, leaving the other almost untouched.

I am very pleased with the final outcome. This is perhaps my favourite clock in the series and, when finished, I added my name to the face and back of the clock with great pride.

- Mark Avis

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1 comment for this entry:
  1. JB
    April 1st, 2009 on 10:19 am

    ‘Loved the fairy tale feel and effect of time warping’
    (JB, Photographer and muralist, Nottingham)

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Time is an Abstract Concept

Born in 1966, Mark is a contemporary artist, based in Newark, Nottinghamshire, who designs inspirational clocks made from steel. Influenced by Gaudi and Spanish surrealist, Dali, Mark began to conceive an image of a melting clock, created from iron, but sculpted to large proportions. His first Iron Clock in the series, known as 'Gaia', was completed nearly four years ago.

Mark has produced a series of six sculptures to date, which have attracted tremendous interest and critical acclaim. Each sculpture is original, shaped with distinctive markings that, when viewed as a whole, represent what Mark refers to as 'a human form fitting the proportions of people'.

With each Iron Clock, Mark has distorted the notion of time by creating an incredible melting effect that is both visually arresting and technically superb. As the series has progressed, Mark's artistic vision has become increasingly complex, inviting different interpretations as more intricate detail is added. This creates additional depth and dimension to each new sculpture, that further disrupts our traditional concept of time as each Iron Clock tells its own individual story.

Fragmentation contrasts sharply with fluidity in his latest creation 'Cronus', where the juxtaposition of time and nature are beautifully realised.

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