Nestled in native bush at the top of the sculpture trail’s ‘figure-8 loop’ boardwalk, visitors will encounter Nicholas Duval-Smith’s majestic Wake-Up Call. Recently installed, but seeming to have been stationed in this spot forever, this artwork has a sense of being timeless and other-worldly.

Framed by three elegant corten steel legs which have a creature-like quality, the large bell hovers in the centre, and upon first discovery there is a sense of gentle anticipation, perhaps even apprehension. As the subtitle ‘a vibration from within’ infers, Wake-Up Call is an interactive sculpture, designed to invite visitors to sit beneath the bell. What is interesting about this act is that it immediately breaks away from the more typical interaction we tend to have with artworks - look, but don’t touch. Furthermore, sitting beneath a large bronze bell, ducking one’s head to be encased within it, requires an element of trust. Once inside, the gold leaf provides a view of a gorgeous glowing chamber which elevates the experience to be one that feels reverent and sacred.

But the experiential emphasis of this work is that of the sound it produces. With the use of Smith’s hand-carved mallet, visitors are invited to strike the exterior of the bronze bell, which provides a rich yet delicate scope of vibrations and therefore sound frequencies. Given the dome-like encasement of the bell, the ‘surround-sound’ effect is effervescent, and both calming and invigorating.

As Duval-Smith notes, “Bells can connect us with the metaphysical, within and without. This is observed in both Eastern and Western cultures. Wake-up Call is an ethereal interactive artwork, inviting the visitor to experience a meditative moment listening to a spectrum of sound frequencies. It may also serve as an opportunity to connect with the self or as a channel to broadcast wishes of hope or joy.”