Abstract

Book of Bells is a sound installation designed for presentation in libraries. Originally commissioned by Durham Cathedral and Durham International Festival to mark the 2013 exhibition of the Lindisfarne Gospels, the work comprises digitally manipulated brass, voice and bell recordings that provide an acoustical context within which visitor-participants are invited to read extracts from books and ring small bells. In blurring distinctions between actual and virtual sounds, the installation challenges the segmented nature of knowledge.