Free activities and events in New York City


Lecture “Shared Time: Public Clocks and the Life of New York City”

Published: January 4, 2026; Aithor: Julia Sonrisa

When: January 5, 2026
Where: The General Society Library

Address: 20 West 44th Street, New York, NY 10036, United States

Phone: +1 212-921-1767

Web: https://generalsociety.org/?page_id=103

Suzanne Dirks, Artist and Educator (New York, New York)

We walk past public clocks every day — on street corners, above doorways, and high on towers — often without noticing them. Yet these clocks once played a central role in organizing city life, offering shared reference points in a place shaped by schedules, movement, and collective rhythms.

At the January 2026 lecture of the Horological Society of New York (HSNY), artist and educator Suzanne Dirks asks a deceptively simple question: Do public clocks still organize how we move through New York City, or have they begun to fade into the background? Through the history of public timekeeping, stories of clocks saved and restored through community action, and close observation of clusters of clocks across different neighborhoods, Dirks will explore what these timepieces help keep alive — shared time, civic care, and moments of connection in an ever-changing city.

Time: 6:00 pm EST

Free!

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