All the time in the world

19.12.47: THE WORLD'S biggest clock has been unveiled at Gyangze, on the high Tibetan plateau.

Designed to counterbalance the relentless pace of modern life, the Long Clock is intended to last 10,000 years, ticking once a year, bonging once a century and cuckooing every millennium.

The Long Now Foundation began working on designs for the clock nearly 50 years ago and, in the true spirit of the project, it has only just been unveiled.

The location site has been deliberately distanced from major urban centres so as to increase the clock's chances of survival.

As civilisation progresses exponentially, time has increasingly become taken for granted. The Long Clock is intended to challenge these conventions. It is