The Hans Lang Clock – an Astronomical Clock from 1986

“At first there was just a thought, the chimera of an idea to make an astronomical clock that should be more than a mere timepiece, more than a mere technical instrument for the mechanical depiction of cosmic events. Yet, what was this ‘multifarious nonsense’ around which my thoughts were racing?

I had often observed the simplest of people in museums, standing before a painting, steeped in thought, fascinated by the magic of a work of art although they understood nothing about the painting technique, the art movement or style of art it represented, or even what it was supposed to be portraying. It was very simply the allure of the work of art that enthralled these people for a few moments, snatching them from the world of worries and commotion around them.

Why should it not be possible for an astronomical clock to have this allure as well? Night after night I pondered about modes of expression that, as a result of the presentation and functional statement of an astronomical clock, would induce the fascination of metaphysical soul-searching.

Images created by circles, arcs and columns began to fill my dreams. Ultimately, after many sketches, these images took on their final shape.”

Hans Lang (1924-2013)