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One of the University's favourite sons returned to campus to personally launch the sundial he designed as a Centenary project.

Shaun Tan , director of the Academy Award-winning short film The Lost Thing , and designer of the spectacular Hours to Sunset mosaic which adorns the west wall of The University Club, was welcomed by a huge crowd.

He spoke with humility about his role in the design and construction of the sundial, congratulating all who had helped to make the project a reality.

"I don't feel I did very much at all," he said. "I just feel privileged to be involved. It's been really interesting for me to be involved in a project that is more than just an illustration - actually something that works.

"I always had this nice idea: that the students would be looking at this as an actual timepiece and frantically running on their way to an afternoon lecture.  And because it's Hours to Sunset, it's a retraction of time.  It really brings back the spirit of university deadlines for me, so I hope it will have some practical purpose as well.

"Thanks to my old uni for providing all the inspiration that you see in the image."

Mr Tan graduated from UWA in 1995 with joint first class honours in Fine Arts and English Literature. As a young artist, one of his patrons was the then librarian at Subiaco Library, Susan Marie, who is now Director of UWA Extension .  She commissioned and co-ordinated the Centenary sundial project.

Hours to Sunset was installed over four weeks in January, ready to be unveiled at the Alumni Weekend.  Dr Peter Kovesi, an engineer at UWA's Centre for Exploration Targeting, did the calculations for the sundial, which was created with more than 700 kilograms of Venetian glass tiles.

At the launch , the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Paul Johnson, thanked the sponsor, Hawaiian Property Group, who contributed to the installation and to the future landscaping of the courtyard below the sundial, which Mr Tan will also be designing.