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German artist makes clocks from cow dung

BERLIN: A German artist who turns dried cow manure into wall clocks and small sculptures wants to expand his repertory to include cow dung wrist watches.

"Artists are always looking for new materials and I was struck by the similarities in the consistency of the manure to my paints," said Bernd Eilts, 43. "I used sheep droppings at first but they were too small so I switched to cow dung."

Eilts said the idea came to him as he walked through a mound-filled field 10 years ago. He lets the cowpats dry out over a few weeks before sculpting, painting or lacquering them.

He said animals fed on fresh grass produced the best pats, but other foods made for interesting varieties. "Cows fed on carrots and turnips produce a reddish dung, which looks quite different from the normal material."

His trademark clocks cost 150 euros ($140), and he said wrist watches and even alarm clocks may soon appear.

Eilts made his first splash in the Dutch town of Groningen in 2000 with an exhibit entitled "Bullshit".-Reuters