The 1MileClock Project ~ Lead Artist Jim Bowers

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Continuing in the tradition of creative, unique and mind blowing art on the playa, artist Jim Bowers, The TriBe, a talented team of Laser Technology Scientists, expert craftsmen and other artists from around the world designed and created what may be The Worlds Largest Working “timepiece” called “Burning Time”.  At over 6000′ feet wide, high powered lasers kept accurate time with hour, minute and second hands marking artistic 22′ towers over the heads of the 50,000 festival goers in attendance at the Burning Man Festival in the Nevada Desert in August 2011.

1mileClock project "BURNING TIME"

The 1MileClock project filled the entire mile wide inner playa as the “face” of the clock. “Black Rock Cities” radial streets that run in the direction of  The Man are already numbered like a clock. 12 o’clock being straight up from the Man (in front of “The Temple”) with 6 o’clock at the bottom at “center camp”. From off-center in the circular city we erected three high powered lasers on top of a forty foot cell tower. These three lasers “ticked” around the city as infinite “hands on a clock”. Each of the three laser beams represented, the hour, minute and ticking second hand while keeping perfect time using precision laser hardware, mirrors and custom software.

Each laser started out as a pinpoint from the center tower and widened out at the esplanade (outside diameter of the clock) making each hand “bigger” and easier to identify from over a mile away. The more dust in the air, the more visible and brighter the hands.

Twelve Hours=Twelve 22' Towers around the entire city, 1 mile in Diameter.

The lasers were controlled by a custom  software program which kept accurate time, using ultra high speed rotating mirrors to accurately position the hands of the clock every 1/2000 of a second. The projects 52 member international Art team created 4′x6′ Art Panels, installed on each side of the twelve, 22′ tall clock towers. Several featured artists created “LIVE Paintings” during scheduled performances throughout the week long festival.

“Burning Time” Project Developers are:

• Jim Bowers (Artist and clock project creator)
  Position: Project director, lead artist.
  Email: Jimbowers@foothill.net
• Tim Black (Software engineer, inventor, artist)
  Position: Laser assembly and Software design.
  Email: tblack@quantalink.com
• Russell Wilcox (Laser Researcher/Physicist, creator of “Beaming Man”) Position: Laser apparatus design and engineering.
  Email: rwilcox@jps.net
• Dan Pritchett (Nuclear Physicist, pilot, laser specialist and solar technology researcher)
  Position: Solar/power supply, laser support, project pilot.
  Email: dpritchett@mac.com
• Brad Lindsey ( Inventor, fabricator, laser and solar design)
  Position: Project design, Pyro and safety director, project pilot
  Email: ayev8tor@gmail.com
• Arlen Bodily (Construction contractor, builder, fabricator)
  Position: Tower Director: design and construction supervisor
  Email: acbodily@hotmail.com
• Marcus Hertlein (Laser Physicist Lawrence Livermore Berkley) Position: Laser design and lead laser construction
  Email: mphertlein@gmail.com

For more information on the clock project contact Jimbowers@foothill.net