Archie McCahon

Bells
Bronze
From 240mm-500mm in height, available individually or as a set
Price on request

This interactive sound installation incorporates a collection of bronze Bells hanging from a large scale wooden structure. The ringing of a bell is a signal that informs us of something; the beginning of mass, the ending of a school class, a call to action, an emergency or a public announcement. The symbolic meaning of a bell is of announcing information and transferring wisdom. For some, the bell is said to represent the voice of God. In China, bells are rung to communicate with spirits. In Buddhism, the resonance of a bell signifies pure wisdom because the sound is one of perfect harmony and clarity. The dome of the bell can also represent the vault of heaven, with the clapper acting as the voice of divinity.

Each of Archie McCahon’s bells is a unique work, modelled individually in clay and cast in a single pour. For McCahon, each project is another engagement with the material and the processes of cast making, welding, fettling, applying the patina. There is an alchemy and magic that occurs in the making; when the cast is rung and the shell falls away, the exposed sculpture is more than the bronze that entered the crucible - a new object has been realised.

McCahon states that lyrics by Leonard Cohen perfectly match the sentiment of the Bells; "Ring the bells…that still can ring, forget your perfect offering, there is a crack in everything…that's how the light gets in, we asked for signs." The artist invites the audience to take the opportunity to ring the bells, to notice the feeling that comes as a result of engaging, and responding to the rarity of this feeling is what gives this sculpture its emotional power. The reverberation of a bell is used to help the viewer disengage the thinking mind; to ascend conscious awareness and tap into the wisdom of our higher consciousness.

For McCahon, creating art is about communication and feeling: "I have created work that brings forward feelings of joy, calm, happiness and even concern." Sculpting allows him to share these emotional intentions with a larger audience. With McCahon’s Bells installation, there is the opportunity to connect with the sculpture not just in a tactile sense, but through an aural and vibratory ‘happening’. It could be said that each time the bells ring, the sound is owned by the ears that hear it.