Cultural Source

The client brief for the interiors in King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah, was to create an artistic exemplar through commissioned artworks that reflect the cultural identity of the Middle East.

David Harber was invited by Areen Design, the interior designers for the project, to submit sculptural artworks, one of which was a huge pendulum, inspired by astronomer Ibn Yunus, said to have created the first pendulum over 1,000 years ago.

David's 2.4m pendulum sculpture has a mirrored surface that is designed to reflect and distort its surroundings on each swing.

Due to the proximity to the equator and to ensure its regularity, the progression and continuity of movement is regulated by an array of robotics and micro-processing.

Two mechanisms are used: one to enable it to swing accurately from side to side, another to control its rotational transit.

Beneath the pendulum is a plinth incorporating sections which mark the time in five-minute increments. An LED flashes upon the pendulum's approach, and becomes permanently lit until midnight when the sequence restarts.