MB&F Marks Five Years of M.A.D. Gallery with Nixie Machine II
Avant-garde horologer MB&F marks the 5th anniversary of its M.A.D. Gallery with a retro sculptural clock that flaunts both super modern and endearingly vintage flair.
The latest version of the famed Nixie Machine, rendered by German sculptor Frank Buchwald and Czech tube maker Dalibor Farny in 12 unique pieces, now graces the M.A.D. Galleries in Geneva, Dubai and Taipei.
Nixie Machine II derives from Buchwald’s inaugural clock of the 1950s, which used cold cathode tubes to display numerals with a glowing discharge. An upgrade from the original work, the new clock still follows Buchwald’s imaginative design principles. Its steel-and-brass base measures 1.2 meters and rests on insect-like limbs. As its spider-evoking body stands still, steel brackets hug the Nixie vacuum tubes like arms gripping time, which flashes in an orange halo that is both rigidly industrial and intimately natural.
Innovative to its very core, Nixie Machine II connects to the Internet in order to accurately tell the hour and eliminate the need to be manually set. In tune with the clock’s digitalized aesthetics, its myriad functions – from scroll effects to day/night modes to light and time zone settings – can be controlled online, while offline operation is also possible.
The brainchild of Buchwald and Farny, the Nixie Machine II would not have sprung to life if it was not for the two creatives’ chance encounter. They met at an exhibit of technical antiques in Berlin and instantly recognized their shared enthusiasm for the Nixie Machine.
The clock is not the first of Buchwald’s creations that M.A.D. Galleries have carried. His Machine Lights as well as the first Nixie Machine have long enjoyed the admiration of MB&F founder Maximilian Busser, putting Buchwald in the initial line-up of artists who filled M.A.D. Gallery Geneva upon its unveil. Since then, the modern artist has enjoyed a permanent showcase at M.A.D. Galleries, and of the latest collaboration 12 pieces will be available exclusively from the M.A.D.Galleries in Geneva, Dubai, and Taipei.
