Phil has two favorite escapements. Grasshoppers are first on his list by virtue of their geometry and animation. A close second is the Gravity escapement as used in Insionn (Gaelic: Mechanical time telling device)

Typically these types of escapements are used in very large tower clocks.  Tower clocks need a significant amount of power to turn large hands and deal with weather conditions. If that same power were allowed to impulse the pendulum, it would adversely affect its timekeeping properties. The gravity escapement is arranged in such a way that this excessive power is used only to reset arms either side of the pendulum. When the arms are released by the escapement, they impulse the pendulum and keep it in motion. This arrangement was invented by Edmund Beckett Dennison (Baron Grimthorpe) around 1850 and used in his design of the clock at Westminster (Big Ben). 

The action of the escapement and the resetting of the arms are fluid and large enough to appreciate visually. In Insionn, Phil deviated from the typical pattern of the Gravity escapement by arranging the arms upside down. He also slowed down the action of the escapement with large peacock feathers and a slow beating pendulum.

Technical Details: Gravity escapement, Automatic winding, LED lighting. Peacock  feathers. Acrylic, copper, brass and aluminum. Quartz mechanism.  

Edition of 5

Phil Abernethy was born in England to a family of clockmakers. After emigrating to Canada in 1976, he apprenticed to his father and became a journeyman clockmaker in 1988. After decades in the domestic and public clock field, their company, Abernethy & Son, has become widely regarded as masters of their craft in Canada and abroad. Drawing on his broad experience, Phil has pursued sculptural clockmaking, creating machines based on historic and obscure devices spread over the history of the craft. Phil works from his studio in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. 

“Being exposed to countless historic devices and systems in my work as a clock restorer over several decades, combined with a lifelong interest in art, it seems natural to explore the potential of clockwork as Art. 

Through my experience as a restorer, and after much experimentation, I’ve developed systems that have allowed a sculptural approach to my craft, whilst illustrating its vast history. The reinterpretation of their mechanics, and format, exposes what has traditionally been hidden behind the work of other crafts.

Key to this exploration has been the development of contemporary reflections on traditional mechanics that are both functional in the long term and require little in the way of maintenance and adjustment. This is achieved through the use of sound design, significant prototyping, contemporary materials and components, and by drawing extensively on my field experience.

Visually in my own work I combine natural lines and organic forms with the easy cadence of slow beating pendulums that reflect a natural and more reflective experience of time.”