Tagged: News

A group in Washington State in America, with an appropriately-named coordinator, has launched a sundial mural competition and would welcome entries from visitors to this site. They write:

We are a small group in Bellingham, WA. that have created an exciting mural competition for a very large two story wall in our historic downtown. We are reaching out to a multitude of international communities in pursuit of receiving submissions for a visually striking mural that also acts as a sundial. This multi purpose art project is not limited to people who specialize in the field of gnomonics, those without previous experience may bring some fresh ideas to the table to this ancient art form.

We understand that some people may want to submit a design and do not have the ability to create the final product. If that is the case, there is a monetary award for the winning design. However, if someone wishes to install their design we are accepting budget proposals to accompany the submission so that you have control over the final product.

Bellingham is a hidden jewel of Washington State filled with people who are forward thinking and enjoy the outdoors. Protected by the North Cascade mountains and bumped right up to the bay, our views are speckled with island’s, volcanic mountains, numerous lakes, thick mossy forests, and are surrounded by small farms. Our city thrives on small businesses which fill our brick buildings thanks to our community which encourages handmade and locally sourced goods. Bellingham is very unique, and we hope for the designs to reflect this vibe.

For all the information regarding this competition as well as submission forms, visit our web page here:

http://www.alliedarts.org/sundial-mural-competition/

Thanks for your time and the best of luck,
Sky Rockenbach
Coordinator
The NW Sun Works

The regular one-day BSS meeting will be held as usual wat Sutton Hall, Stockcross, Newbury RG20 8LN on Saturday 26th. September from 10:00 until 4:00. There will be exhibits of dials and related material, talks and a bookstall.

Full details are available here. Thanks as ever to David Pawley for organising the event.

No need to book, just turn up on the day. Guests are welcome, as are long-standing members and first-time visitors. Do come along to this highly popular event, and have a most enjoyable and relaxing day out.

For members who are invited to give talks about sundials or the BSS, or for anyone who wishes to promote the Society’s activities, updated versions of the BSS brochure and flyer are now available for downloading and printing.

Name A4
Brochure – two-sided PDF
Flyer – one-up PDF
Flyer – two-up PDF

The brochure is two-sided and should be folded in three: if your printer does not handle duplex printing then print one side first, reinsert the paper (typically for inkjet printers the printed side should be uppermost but please do a test print first) and then print side two.

The flyer is available in two sizes: 1-up is A4, 2-up is for bulk use and produces two copies side-by-side on a single sheet with crop marks to help split in half after printing.

kratzer

The recent first episode of the BBC documentary series “A Very British Renaissance” includes a section describing Nicolaus Kratzer’s contribution to British dialling and the polyhedral dial he constructed for Cardinal Wolseley. The programme also includes an interview with BSS member and dial maker Joanna Migdal. The episode is currently available on the BBC iPlayer; the discussion of Kratzer starts about 20 minutes in.

krok2_002_950

Two Polish physicists, Maciej Zapiór and Lukasz Fajfrowski, took daily photos of the sun from a balcony and captured three separate analemmas over the course of a year. The picture was published on NASA’s APOD site and more information and photos – in English – are available here.

Here’s a fascinating and very modern approach to a digital sundial. The creator, Daniel Voshart, built it as a birthday present for his father and its function is limited in both time and location. He has plans to build a giant one next year, though – that will be something to see!