Time and Tide

The Brixham Time and Tide Bell was installed last week on Breakwater Beach. Time and Tide Bell is an art project made up of bells, designed by UK sculptor Marcus Vergette and Australian bell designer Neil McLachlan, and installed at coastal locations in the UK. The first one was at Appledore, Devon, in 2009 and the seventh at Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire in June 2019. As of 2021 at least six further bells are planned, and funding obtained from the National Lottery Heritage Fund in 2018 will allow for up to sixteen bells in all to be installed.
Each bell rings around high tide; the bells provide a reminder that rising sea levels caused by climate change will make the pattern of their ringing change. There is every chance that some of the bells will have to be relocated.  The design is unique both for the harmonic structure of the bells, and the fact  they are rung by the tidal energy of the sea. Marcus conceived the bells in the context of sea level rise to contemplate our relationship to the sea, that gives and takes, as it wraps around the coast of Britain twice a day. Bells tell stories, it is the same bell that rings at a wedding as a funeral.

One of the unique features of this project is the period over which it has been sustained. Marcus started research on the design of the bell, to create a shape that would be rich in harmonics, in 2008.

The first installation was in Appledore, Devon in the next year, and they followed every year or two for the next decade. 
Look forward to visiting again at high tide. It was a lovely day for a walk and a discovery.