This gadget is a very clever clock, called the Liquid-Time Sculpture.The bulbs on the left represent hours and the smaller, disk-like ones on the right represent two minutes each.
As time passes, these bulbs fill up with the blue liquid, which eventually drains back out, twice a day.
The amazing thing is how cheap it is ... the seven foot version, shown here, is a mere $US75,000 ... I'll definitely be sticking it on my Bah Humbug wishlist :-).