Stanford’s once elegant, $500,000 sculpted clock/fountain sits glumly in storage
I guess I’m not the only one running into trouble with a fountain clock (and I have more on that, later).
The clock sculpture is made of a black granite turntable on an asymmetrical base that revolved once a year and was in constant motion 24 hours a day. To support it, and create a perfectly level surface for the heavy slab, Stanford sank five concrete columns deep into the earth.
Powered by electricity, it ran on a mechanical system with custom gears that were submerged in running water, according to Susan Roberts-Manganelli, manager of collections for Stanford’s Cantor Center for Visual Arts.