About time
circa 2005
Nixie-1 deconstructs time: the top tubes display time of day in [minutes] [hours] [seconds] format. The video displays the data sheets for the NE555 analog timer integrated circuit. One of the most widely used integrated circuits in history, it was deployed in all manner of devices to provide a stable time base. Sound for Nixie-1 is Karlheinz Stockhausen’s “Studie 1” (1953) a piece made entirely from pure sine wave tones.
The Nixie tubes are Russian new old stock tubes that were purchased as part of a Nixie clock kit. Unfortunately, these tubes are no longer available, therefore it is not possible to create additional editions of Nixie-1. The NE555 data sheets were scanned from the “Texas Instruments TTL Data Book for Design Engineers.” These sheets were animated over an intentionally random, not time-based background.
Design, animation and construction: Dean Winkler
Sound: Karlheinz Stockhausen