Perrott’s Folly, Waterworks Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham

Japanese sound artist Yukio Fujimoto is interested as much in how we hear, as in what we hear. For Ikon, he turns his attention to Birmingham’s historic landmark Perrott’s Folly, transforming this 18th century tower into a site-specific installation using the tick-tocking of 1,111 clocks.

As visitors climb up through six floors, the sound of the clocks accumulates. One clock on one floor gives way to ten, giving way to a hundred, giving way to a thousand, with the final result on the top floor being a kind of ‘white noise’. The Tower of Time is remarkable for the way in which it engages its audience; the experience is dependent on our physical movement through the tower as we travel up and down, our steps fitting in with the rhythm of the clocks. The implication of human mortality is inescapable as Fujimoto reminds us, with an abundance of time pieces, that our time is limited. The historical context only serves to reinforce his message.

This exhibition is supported by the John Feeney Charitable Trust.

Perrott’s Folly is located 15 minutes walk from Ikon and 5 minutes from Hagley Road. Please note the Folly is only accessible via a steep spiral staircase.