The Millennium Clock Tower at the National Museum of Scotland is a massive culmination of human artistic achievement, created by four masters for the Scottish Millennium Festival, to commemorate the human suffering of the twentieth century, embodied and entrapped within the endless prisons of time.
We’ve had people who object to it, saying it’s not the sort of thing to show, that it’s too depressing. I don’t feel it’s harking back to awful things in the past, but rather acknowledging them and looking forward to a brighter future. Others love it, with crowds gathering to see it in motion. The moment the wonderful music starts playing, people are drawn across to the clock and most are delighted by it.
Unlocking the secrets of the clockThe Crypt at the base of the tower houses a bewildering combination of wheels and chains. Two figures are at the heart of this section: an oak figure of an Ancient Spirit and the colourful, mischievous Egyptian Monkey, now a favourite with children.
The Nave holds a pendulum with a skeletal death figure straddling a convex mirror. Distorted figures of Lenin, Hitler and Stalin act as a reminder of the worst aspects of the twentieth century. But there is celebration of better times, too, with a playground of animated characters, including a Chaplin-like figure.
Higher still is The Belfry, which accommodates the clock and the Requiem, a circle of twelve figures. Each represents a calendar month, as well as a hardship or tragedy that has afflicted humanity, from war to famine, slavery to persecution. The clock face is the most contemporary part of the tower with its brightly-coloured glass panels. The precision of the clock counteracts the chaos seen elsewhere in the tower.
Right at the top of the clock tower is The Spire, empty apart from its bell. A figure stands at the very top, a female figure carrying a dead man. This is the Pietà, from the Italian for compassion and pity. It acts as a symbol for what has gone before and the strength we need to move forward.