Bell

The quest to create a bell-like shape that could be submerged and transformed in the tidal zone came about through a fascination with Noel Cobb’s book Archetypal Imagination and his analysis of the Russian film Andrei Rublev. The chapter examines the obsession of the artist who is sent on a mystical, metaphorical and phycological task to make a bell with a perfect pitch that draws attention to the sacred. The film itself is an ordeal to watch but reflects the artist's process and the final transformative revelation on completion.

The linear sculpture Bell created for the Liminal Zone exhibition is made of five lengths of recycled steel, that were rusted in the tidal zone of the Cromarty Firth over several weeks. The structure is accompanied by an audio that 'rings' out a collection of hand-picked and orchestrated sounds, inspired by a journey that traced the coastlands and islands of Scotland during 2021. The audio tracks were recorded, assembled and then layered using digital software, to create texture and movement that capture the liminal spaces between sea and land.
 
The sculpture and audio suggest an imagined transitional world where life rings, clings, changes and transforms- from rebellious and disconcerting, to hypnotic and magical, as the tide pulls and pushes through it.

Bell has been exhibited in the Liminal Zone touring exhibition which included UHI Moray, Taigh Chearsabhagh, Rockfield Centre, Oban, University of Stirling and UHI Inverness.