Akiniscope is an electronic art project by David Wilson Clarke. It’s about patience, it’s about slowness.

It was borne out of several things: One was the discovery that on average, people look at exhibits for only 8 seconds, as reported in the Tate’s Guide to slow looking. Another was an urge, as a former electronics and software engineer, to do some technical art. It’s also a homage to the old electronic test equipment; meters and analysers, full of buttons and dials, some which you dare not touch, and some you never discover what they are for.

The Akiniscope will take a photograph when someone stands in front of it. But it will do it slowly, gradually, so the person may have moved on, before the photograph has been completely taken. Heads, with no bodies, new people entering the frame, part presence, part absence.

The project may take a year to build. It will be a journey of discovery, hopefully, some of which will be recorded here. it will take as long as it takes.

This website will document the design and building of the Akinoscope. The blogs will be in several categories; design; electronics; software; sounds, etc. Design will be kept non-technical, just the aesthetics of the project.