TEMPUS FUGIT

Wierd, monstrous, strange, a masterpiece...

Aside from aesthetic considerations, John Taylor's controversial clock for Corpus Christi College, Cambridge goes far beyond the usual purpose of clocks, that is, to tell the time.
In my opinion, his creation is the closest approximation to date, of a physical representation of the meaning of time.

The disturbing Cronophage, a creature that is half-grasshopper, half-beetle, devouring time, one minute after another, jaws wide open, insatiable in its gluttony, while forcing on the next second relentlessly with its palettes/legs, manages to bring home the idea of tempus fugit in full.

It even blinks and seems to wag its tail with every bite, as if in scorn of our "relative views" on time.

Stephen Hawking commented in the unveiling of the Corpus Clock, his surprise when he realized, on his 70th birthday, how fast time flies. So much he still wants to do. So little time.

Meanwhile, the Cronophage munches on...

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