saint etienne biennale 08: 'citrus clock' by anna gram' at 'city eco lab'

‘citrus clock’ being powered by lemons

the ‘city eco lab’ at the saint etienne biennale was divided into various sections, one which was called ‘la cabane à outils’ or ‘the shack tools’. in this section, various projects using natural or eco-friendly materials could be found, including ‘citrus clock’ by forian dussopt and julie girard of anna gram’. the ‘citrus clock’ runs on the energy of a lemon which has the ability to power the time-teller for a week or longer. the technology behind the clock is similar to those principles used by mr. volta back in 1799 when inventing the battery – using an electrolysis of zinc and copper (the plug located under the lemon) in a salted or acid liquid (lemon), to create electricity. the project is meant to quickly remind us of the various ways in which nature, despite the continuous transformations we subject it to, is still our most valuable resource and main source of energy. ‘citrus clock’ was done in collaboration with atelier chauvet (cabinet maker) and anthemis.

anna gram’ in designboom’s ‘handled with care’ exhibition

anna gram’: http://www.annagram.fr atelier chauvet: http://www.atelierchauvet.fr