Eric Freitas is a clockmaker with an art degree. He hand machines and sculpts every gear and chain link of his clocks to create his bizarre and beautiful timepieces. It's unlikely that an artist would tackle the kind of learning curve that clockmaking presents, but he is dedicated, driven, and very passionate about making his ideas become a living, ticking reality.
In 1999, Eric graduated from the Center for Creative Studies with a major in Graphic Design and Illustration. He never committed to the commercial world as planned, and instead directed his attention to a far less common art-form; clockmaking. Prior to the change in artistic direction, he'd never used any machining tools. He studied from clockmaking and machining books for the sole purpose of executing this idea.
Clocks and watches have become such a mindless part of our life, that it's hard to separate the symbol from the elusive concept of time. Freitas abandons the traditional look of horology, and creates timepieces with a much more intuitive feel. His clocks delicately combine mechanical repetition with the organic repetitions of nature's machine. These dark, ticking curiosities seem to be unpredictably growing and decaying at the same time. The cold, linear representation of time disappears, and you're left with the feel of a beautifully complex and interconnected flow of change that is time itself.
Eric can be found at ericfreitas.com
[link], where he showcases a gallery of his work and a blog keeping up with the progress of recent projects.
Current Residence: Royal Oak, MI (near Detroit)
Sta.sh
