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2016-272 - Glass Bell Mandalas

2016-272 – Glass Bell Mandalas

Temple of a Thousand Bells – photo by Gillian Cooper

This week’s MotD theme: For Whom the Bell Toll

In 2012 Brazilian artist, Laura Belem, created this spectacular installation entitled “Temple of a Thousand Bells” at York’s St. Mary’s. Gillian Cooper captured this very cool shot as part of her visit to the exhibit.

From Gillian’s blog site, she states:

It is based on a legend of The Temple of a…

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#art installation #Gillian cooper #Laura Belem #mandala art #temple of a thousand bells #York&039;s st. Mary&039;s

'The Temple of a Thousand Bells', An Installation by Laura Belem

A complementary artwork to Art and Music can be found at York St Mary’s, York Art Gallery’s contemporary art space. This is Brazilian Laura Belem’s The Temple of a Thousand Bells originally commissioned for the Liverpool Biennial International 10 Exhibition.

This work is composed of 1,000 cast glass bells and a specially composed polyphonic sound piece creating a 3-D effect to the sound of a narrated story. Each glass bell has been individually hand-blown and hangs suspended in the nave of the former church. The artist was inspired by an ancient legend about a temple of a thousand bells, built on an island which sank over time into the ocean. As the tale unfolds, it reveals the endeavours of a sailor to hear the lost music of the bells.

The bells created for this installation are both clapper-less and translucent and in many ways their meaning centres on these two facts. As a visual metaphor, the bells serve as a reminder of past times when bells summoned people to this church matching the narrated legend of the lost music of the bells in the ocean. Viewed from a distance the glass bells appear like tiny reflections of light, each one perhaps representing an individual memory. Their translucent quality points to enlightenment. The bells therefore can induce personal reflection of our past and at the same time consideration of present and future time.

This installation is a very good example of an effective use of interior church space creating an impression of dappled light and promoting reflection and contemplation in a retreat from busy modern life. Maybe some water beneath would enhance the reflective process.

The mass of clear translucent bells that are experienced here reflect Laura Belem’s creative purpose of stimulating the imagination to rethink personal relationships with both the surrounding environment and with the self.

York St Mary's also has some original 14th century stained glass shown below which is fabulous!