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Artist and inventor Niklas Roy has built a functional pendulum clock from materials he scrounged locally during a residency in Glashütte, Germany. The clock runs for about half an hour and includes a paperclip escapement, a bottle gong and a chance-based feature Roy calls a “random complication.”
Berlin-based artist and inventor Niklas Roy has constructed a working pendulum clock from materials collected locally during a residency in Glashütte, Germany, a town associated with the country’s watchmaking industry. Called the Glashütte Trash Clock, the device runs for about half an hour and uses improvised parts including a paperclip escapement and a glass bottle gong.
Roy used items he could scrounge up in the area, including cardboard, plastic, tape, zip ties and hot glue, as well as a yardstick and other miscellaneous objects. The project puts those everyday materials to work in a mechanical sculpture designed to keep time, rather than presenting them only as found objects. The source report describes the clock as functional and says it runs for about 30 minutes.
One of its mechanisms is a paperclip escapement. In a pendulum clock, an escapement releases a gear in controlled steps as the pendulum moves, allowing the mechanism to advance the clock’s hands. Roy’s construction substitutes an improvised paperclip component for the precision-made parts associated with conventional timepieces.
The clock also includes a glass bottle gong and a feature Roy calls a “random complication,” which poses the question “Now or Never?” The report describes that element as a playful addition involving chance, not a standard clock function. It does not provide measurements, a detailed parts list, or a technical account of how every component operates.
A Handmade Counterpoint to Watchmaking
The project draws its meaning from the place where Roy made it. Glashütte is known for watchmaking, including a long tradition of precision craft; Roy said he wanted to make “the opposite.” Building a clock from scavenged materials turns that contrast into the work’s central idea: a device associated with precision is assembled from objects that are ordinarily disposable or used for other purposes.
That contrast also makes the clock an accessible demonstration of mechanical principles. The pendulum and escapement show how a clock can regulate movement and advance a mechanism, while the bottle gong gives the object an audible feature. The source does not claim the clock is as accurate or durable as a commercial timepiece. Its reported significance is as an art project that combines working mechanics with a deliberately rough, resourceful construction.
The “Now or Never?” feature adds a chance-based prompt to an object normally used to measure predictable intervals. The report frames this as a playful tension between the steady passage of time and uncertainty. That is an interpretation of the work’s effect, rather than a claim that the clock measures or predicts anything beyond time.
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Roy’s Residency in Glashütte
The clock is named for Glashütte, in Saxony, where Roy took part in a residency during 2026. The town is described in the source report as the birthplace of Germany’s renowned watchmaking industry. That setting gives the project its point of comparison: a locally made clock that rejects the finish and precision usually associated with the place.
Roy’s broader practice combines art and technology, with projects involving robotics, gaming systems, sculptures and installations. The report describes his work as using mechanical contraptions and a lighthearted approach to invite viewers to think about creativity, science and technology. The Trash Clock fits that practice by making its mechanics visible through an unconventional collection of materials.
Roy said the goal was to make the opposite of the precision for which Glashütte is known. The available report does not give further details about the residency, how long the clock took to build, or whether the project was made for a particular exhibition. Those details are not needed to identify the reported development: a working clock assembled from materials gathered in the town during Roy’s residency.
““Glashütte is synonymous with precision and centuries-old watchmaking craft, and I wanted to make the opposite.””
— Niklas Roy
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Limits of the Clock’s Reported Performance
The source says the clock runs for about half an hour, but does not specify how that duration was tested, whether the clock can be restarted or wound, or how accurately it keeps time. It also does not explain the full design of the pendulum mechanism, the construction of the bottle gong, or what triggers the “random complication.”
The available information identifies the materials in broad terms but does not provide a complete inventory or establish that every component is waste in the strict sense. Roy is reported to have used items he could scrounge locally. No details are given about the clock’s long-term reliability, whether it has been publicly displayed, or whether plans exist to build another version.
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Further Details on the Clock
The Colossal report points readers to Roy’s Instagram for more of his work. It does not announce a future exhibition, publication or demonstration for the Glashütte Trash Clock. Further information about the mechanism, its accuracy and whether it remains in operation would clarify how the project performs beyond its reported run of about 30 minutes.
For now, the confirmed development is the construction of the clock during Roy’s Glashütte residency and its reported use of locally scavenged materials. Any additional claims about its durability, precision or future display should wait for further documentation from Roy or the project’s organizers.
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Key Questions
What is the Glashütte Trash Clock?
It is a working pendulum clock made by artist and inventor Niklas Roy from materials he scrounged locally during a residency in Glashütte, Germany.
How long does the clock run?
Roy said it runs for about half an hour. The report does not specify how that operating time was measured or whether the clock can be restarted.
What materials and mechanisms does it use?
The reported materials include cardboard, plastic, tape, zip ties, hot glue and a yardstick. Its features include a paperclip escapement and a glass bottle gong.
What does the “Now or Never?” feature do?
Roy calls it a “random complication.” The report describes it as a playful, chance-related feature but does not explain its precise mechanism or operation.
Why did Roy build it in Glashütte?
Roy made the clock during a residency in a town known for watchmaking. He said he wanted to make the opposite of Glashütte’s precision tradition by using improvised, locally gathered materials.
Source: rss
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