Jean Bernard Metais

Clepsydra (2007)

Jean-Bernard Métais, "Clepsydra". Conservatory of Dramatic Arts, Levallois (France)

This work was commissioned by the Conseil Général des Hauts-de-Seine after winning the international competition held in March 2007. It occupies the patio of the Conservatory of Music, Dance and Dramatic Art of Levallois in Paris.

The installation highlights the slow movement of floats that skim over the arcs of a translucent water ring day and night, a modern echo of the clepsydra, an ancient clock that used the movement of water to tell time. Beneath, at ground level, is a mysterious patchwork of numbers, letters and musical notes. Slowness, silence and reflection are at the heart of the work. Two miniature water pumps activate the piece; a satellite clock mounted on the roof of the conservatory regulates its tempo.

The ground level base of stainless steel, punctured in the shapes of various symbols, is lit from below by diode lamps. The water ring structure is made of stainless steel and transparent polycarbonate.

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