The Time Eater

Is it a work of art or a work of science? Neither. It's a work of craftsmanship and technology. Unveiled today by Professor Stephen Hawking at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge University, this unique clock features a giant grasshopper which eats time by advancing round the 4-feet-wide face. Blue flashing lights, triggered by the grasshopper's movement, reveal the time every four minutes. Dr John Taylor - an old boy of Corpus Christi College - designed the clock to "make timekeeping interesting". It took five years to make and cost him £1 million. He can afford it; he made a fortune from developing the kettle thermostat. His clock will stand outside the college library.