Clocks in Space, 2021
now in RISD Fleet Library Special CollectionsAn Artist Book inspired by David Rooney’s book About Time: A History of Civilization in Twelve Clocks.
On August 31, 1983, a scheduled Korean Air Lines flight (KAL007) from New York City to Seoul departed from Anchorage after refuel. Shortly thereafter the aircraft crossed the International Date Line, and the day changed to September 1.
During the flight, one of the radio navigation beacons the flight computer usually relied on was non-functional, at the same time the gyroscope-based Inertial Navigation System was not properly reset. The Boeing 747 strayed more than 180 kilometers (110 miles) off course and into Soviet airspace. Cold War tensions were at peak, a Soviet Su-15 interceptor shot it down near Moneron Island, in the Sea of Japan. All 269 passengers and crew aboard perished.
The Flight 007 tragedy contributed to aviation safety protocols requiring long-range military radars to assist in managing civilian air traffic: two weeks after the accident, Reagan announced the opening of the US military’s satellite-based Global Positioning System (GPS) for civilian use.
“The night sky is a museum of old clocks, if we could see that far.”
——David Rooney
Dimension: 6″ x 6″ (15.2cm x 15.2cm)Material: acetate, colored threads, Colorline® paperLaurie Whitehill Purchase Prize in the 8th annual Baker & Whitehill Student Artists' Book Contesthttps://digitalcommons.risd.edu/bookcontest_supplementalcontent/18/