Exhibitions
Sound and Silence
Sound and Silence takes the bell out of the church into the gallery, celebrating it as a tactile, visual and acoustic sculpture.
This surprising sensory exhibition considers the history and heritage of the bell in the UK, and its impact on the medium of contemporary sculpture and honours the past and looks to the future of bell-making - a craft classified as ‘critically endangered’ by the Heritage Craft Association.
Featuring sonic sculptures, installations, films, performances, workshops and live casting, Sound and Silence integrates diverse sculptural practices and perspectives to examine and explain the history and impact, past, present and future, that bell making and bell ringing has played in society with plenty of opportunities for audiences to make some noise.
Sound and Silence reimagines bell-making from universal communication tool to a sustainable contemporary art form primed for artistic exploration. Four innovative sculptors and bell-makers - Marcus Vergette, a sculptor, musician, and bellmaker; Copper Sounds, an artist duo exploring 3D digital design and bronze casting; David Snoo Wilson, a travelling founder and sculptor, and Emma-Kate Matthews, an architect, composer, musician, and digital artist - blend ancient techniques with contemporary tools like digital modelling, 3D printing, and acoustic analysis to explore the intersection of tradition and modernity in
bell design and fabrication.
Marcus Vergette will present three interactive installations. The first four tuned paint plaster bells that can be played by the public, and during a performance of music he composed. His second piece, a mobile bell for which he used finite element analysis
create a unique harmonic design, and which can also be sounded by the public. And finally a series of silent painted plaster bells. All pieces allow visitors the opportunity engage and play directly with the sound and meaning of bells.
Copper Sounds’ wider experimental approach has been used for bell making, breaking the traditions of the medium by exploring the potential of merging 3D digital design and bronze casting. For Sound and Silence they will showcase a new sonic installation
featuring five experimental bronze bells played by mechanical fingers, alongside ceramic tiles etched with sound patterns from the bells. The installation merges craft and experimentation to create an immersive auditory-visual experience.
David Snoo Wilson is a sculptor and bell founder whose work delves into the traditions of bell-making and folklore. For this exhibition, Wilson presents a series of pieces inspired by bell lore from the Gaelic traditions in the British Isles. Drawing from the Gaelic term deoradh - often associated with keepers of holy relics - the exhibition features a collection of bells and objects that explore the creation, history, and craftsmanship of bell casting. Visitors are invited to engage with the installation, experiencing the fascinating history and acoustics of a variety of bells through hands-on interaction.
Emma-Kate Matthews exhibits her Resonant Bodies —a series of instruments designed to explore transdisciplinary relationships between sonic and spatial practices. Using advanced digital techniques, these instruments are crafted to embody musical desires and generate practical and conceptual resonances between architecture and music. Alongside Copper Sounds, Matthews has created new bells displayed for the first time
Sound and Silence. This collaboration aims to understand the intersection between ancient and modern techniques of bell design, production and performance.
Promoting appreciation for this timeless art form and highlighting its relevance in contemporary culture, Sound and Silence will leave a lasting legacy with the aim of inspiring future generations of sculptors and bell-makers. Without MAKE Southwest’s support through exhibitions such as this, it is yet another heritage craft practice that may soon be forgotten and lost for good.
Featuring sonic sculptures, installations, films, performances, workshops and live casting, Sound and Silence integrates diverse sculptural practices and perspectives to examine and explain the history and impact, past, present and future, that bell making and bell ringing has played in society with plenty of opportunities for audiences to make some noise.
Sound and Silence reimagines bell-making from universal communication tool to a sustainable contemporary art form primed for artistic exploration. Four innovative sculptors and bell-makers - Marcus Vergette, a sculptor, musician, and bellmaker; Copper Sounds, an artist duo exploring 3D digital design and bronze casting; David Snoo Wilson, a travelling founder and sculptor, and Emma-Kate Matthews, an architect, composer, musician, and digital artist - blend ancient techniques with contemporary tools like digital modelling, 3D printing, and acoustic analysis to explore the intersection of tradition and modernity in
bell design and fabrication.
Marcus Vergette will present three interactive installations. The first four tuned paint plaster bells that can be played by the public, and during a performance of music he composed. His second piece, a mobile bell for which he used finite element analysis
create a unique harmonic design, and which can also be sounded by the public. And finally a series of silent painted plaster bells. All pieces allow visitors the opportunity engage and play directly with the sound and meaning of bells.
Copper Sounds’ wider experimental approach has been used for bell making, breaking the traditions of the medium by exploring the potential of merging 3D digital design and bronze casting. For Sound and Silence they will showcase a new sonic installation
featuring five experimental bronze bells played by mechanical fingers, alongside ceramic tiles etched with sound patterns from the bells. The installation merges craft and experimentation to create an immersive auditory-visual experience.
David Snoo Wilson is a sculptor and bell founder whose work delves into the traditions of bell-making and folklore. For this exhibition, Wilson presents a series of pieces inspired by bell lore from the Gaelic traditions in the British Isles. Drawing from the Gaelic term deoradh - often associated with keepers of holy relics - the exhibition features a collection of bells and objects that explore the creation, history, and craftsmanship of bell casting. Visitors are invited to engage with the installation, experiencing the fascinating history and acoustics of a variety of bells through hands-on interaction.
Emma-Kate Matthews exhibits her Resonant Bodies —a series of instruments designed to explore transdisciplinary relationships between sonic and spatial practices. Using advanced digital techniques, these instruments are crafted to embody musical desires and generate practical and conceptual resonances between architecture and music. Alongside Copper Sounds, Matthews has created new bells displayed for the first time
Sound and Silence. This collaboration aims to understand the intersection between ancient and modern techniques of bell design, production and performance.
Promoting appreciation for this timeless art form and highlighting its relevance in contemporary culture, Sound and Silence will leave a lasting legacy with the aim of inspiring future generations of sculptors and bell-makers. Without MAKE Southwest’s support through exhibitions such as this, it is yet another heritage craft practice that may soon be forgotten and lost for good.
CREDIT
