http://www.mekanizmalar.com/gear_system_that_changes_direction.html
This link provides a video that displays the kind of gears i will be using in order to power my project.
One gear will have another smaller gear placed inside of it which will have grooves on the outer rim that fit into the inner groves of the larger gear.
The system will be powered manually - i will insert a dowel into the small gear so that both gears move. The gears will be held vertically by inserting another dowel through both.
The entire project will be placed on a wooden platform. I will most probably use wood to make the gears.
I will cut another piece of wood, held in place by dowels that will strike each groove of the gear to make a sound that measures time.
I was inspired by Arthur Ganson's work with gears and the rhythmic movement of the needle of sewing machines weaving stitches into fabric. I realized that this repetitive movement could be used to measure time.
Additionally, after looking at his work I became interested in the sewing machine's mechanism:
The thread is looped into certain crevices and loops in the machine and pulled out into the spool of thread so there is constant movement of the thread into the machine from an outside point. It was this feature that inspired me.