Sustainable Seconds
by Ali Al Ayssami
A kinetic Stirling-engine sculpture whose unmarked clock spins faster with every degree of heat: how much time do we have left?
About this work
Time is the only resource that cannot be bought, replenished, or replaced. Sustainable Seconds is a kinetic sculpture about the fleeting moments we have to make climate decisions. A hand-built Stirling engine sits at its centre, powering a clock face stripped of its hour markings. The hotter the flame, the faster the clock spins, up to a blistering 33 revolutions per second, mimicking the climate anxiety shared by many Canadians. With no hour marks, the viewer is forced to decide for themselves how much time remains, or whether change is needed at all. The machine runs entirely on heat input, echoing fossil fuel generation: decades of dominance have built the structure our economy rests on, and the wooden base is a quieter reminder that despite all the technology, we remain dependent on the natural world.
