Thursday, September 30, 2010

Accidental sundials tell us what time it is


The part of the sundial that casts the marking shadow is called the "gnomon." After the Fall equinox, at our latitude of 45', the sun has fallen into the lower quarter of the sky in its daily transit, and shadows compete with the objects that cast them. Looking south at 2 p.m. on a quick break, it seems like the light etches away the substance of the pedestrian, and he becomes a statue by the Italian sculptor Giacometti. The gnomon becomes no man.
(Sculpture link to Happy Faces Chicago blog)
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