Sundial Making Workshop With Scott Bluedorn

The Leiber Collection will host a workshop with local artist Scott Bluedorn on Saturday, September 28, at 3 p.m. Join in the session to discuss how different sundials work, and create your own with guidance from Bluedorn.

Sundials are the earliest type of timekeeping device. They show the time of day as a central pointer casts a shadow over a segment of the dial depending on the angle at which the sun’s rays hit its surface. Markings around the edge of the dial show the hours of the day. As the day progresses and the sun moves across the sky, the pointer’s shadow moves across the dial, showing the passage of time.

Bluedorn’s work lives at the intersection of the natural world and the world of human beings. One of his working solar sundials is designed with a celestial scallop form, and made from mostly found materials.

“The solar scallop sundial takes the design of a scallop shell and translates it into a ‘cosmic’ clock that tracks the sun’s movement across the sky in solar time, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., and is customized for this particular latitude,” explained Bluedorn in a statement.

In our technologically driven lives, Bluedorn’s Solar Scallop Dial seems like a magical refuge as it clocks the time of day. It brings wonder and joy to all who view it in the Leiber Sculpture Garden.

For more information about the sundial workshop with Scott Bluedorn, visit leibermuseum.org. The Leiber Collection is at 446 Old Stone Highway in East Hampton.