Wallace is an interactive clock that reacts to passers-by and the light level of its environment with changing speed and direction of its ticking.

I love this clock! Using an Arduino Uno light and distance sensor embedded in a vintage clock, Wallace plays with the viewer’s perception by gradually slowing down as they approach it. When they walk away it speeds back up to return to the correct time. It will take a minute before you realize you aren’t trippin! An excellent conversation starter and an even brilliant art piece.

Designed by Marlene Kettner and Sharon Williams, students at the Interaction Design at the Umea Institute of Design in Sweden, the Wallace Clock is so subtle that people might not realize what it is doing right away. Nevertheless, when the lights are turned off, people will notice when it starts ticking backwards.