Solstice — Balance of sun and moon

Burning the Clocks is a modern ritual devised 26 years ago to lift our spirits in the depth of winter. Held on the Solstice every year (the shortest day and longest night), this growing tradition marks the passage of time by ‘burning the clocks’ and welcoming in the new sun.

My theme for this years Burning the Clocks lantern trail is ‘The balance between the Sun and Moon’. I thought it would be a nice idea to represent the interplay of these two celestial bodies by depicting them in an equilibrium, but using the image of a set of classic measuring scales as a proxy for the celestial mechanics that govern the movements of the heavens.

The design is a play between a more serious astrological perspective concerning time, circles of growth and decay, and interior design. So a kind of cosmic table lamp really. The arrow is pointing up towards the great mystery, indicating the direction towards whatever destiny we choose to unfold.

Burning the Clocks for me is a marker, or a point in the year to reflect on how I want things to be. It’s the solstice, a new beginning and an opportunity for a reset, a reappraisal of what I will do, to try and live a good and meaningful life from now on.