Nixie Machine II is Frank Buchwald’s sequel to his original clock sculpture and an even larger expression of his “heavy-engineering” aesthetic. Stretching roughly 1.2 metres (just over 47 inches) from end to end, the piece is hand-built from burnished steel and brushed brass; its spine-like frame cradles six gigantic R|Z568M tubes made by Czech artisan Dalibor Farny, each tube standing 90 mm tall and glowing with warm orange numerals for hours, minutes and seconds. Intricate metal hoses feed the digits like arteries, while the entire assembly rests on four splayed outriggers that evoke both tripod machinery and retro-futurist starships.