TON IN TON
A bell out of clay that changes its tune when it breaks apart
Ton in Ton is a bell made of clay that is placed at Hufeisensee and slowly decomposes through the interaction of visitors and the weather. It consists of clay from the shore of Hufeisensee, the dried reeds growing there and sodium caseinate.
The visitors of the Horseshoe Lake should discover the bell while walking or bathing and let it ring out of curiosity. The sound should draw their attention to the acoustic aspects of the place and the encounter should arouse their curiosity.
When striking the bell, a piece may break off, or when it rains, the material becomes damp. This change in the bell also changes the sound it makes.
When the bell slowly decays after frequent ringing and rainfall, the clay becomes part of the soil , the reed becomes part of the carbon cycle again and the casein is utilised by the bacteria, fungi and microorganisms.
| student: | Raymond Francis Sandy |
| project: | (con)temporary crust |
| year: | 2021 |
| Location of inspiration: | Hufeisensee, Halle |
| Material: | clay, reed, casein |
| Method of manufacturing: | outer contour by a negative mould, inner contour by turning and scraping with a stencil |
| Temporal aspect: | the sound changing with time and decay |
full concept text
Ton in Ton is a bell made of clay that is placed at Hufeisensee and slowly degrades due to the interaction of visitors and the weather. It consists of clayey soil from the shore of Hufeisensee, the dried reeds growing there and casein, natural milk protein.The tough material is first pressed into a negative of the outer mould and then scraped off with a template along the axis of rotation to achieve a defined inner contour.
The wet bell is then removed from the mould to dry, first covered to slow down the drying process and prevent cracking. The dried object is placed on branches on site instead of being hung to eliminate the possibility of injury if it falls.
People who visit the Hufeisensee should discover the erected bell while walking or bathing and let it ring out of curiosity. The sound should draw the visitor’s attention to the acoustics of Hufeisensee. It should make them aware of the diverse soundscape of the place. In addition, the first hopefully surprising encounter should arouse the curiosity of the visitor, so that they will then walk more attentively through their surroundings.
The bell is not meant to last forever. When striking it, a piece may break off, or when it rains, the material may become damp. This change in the bell also changes the sound it produces. The change is either irreversible – as in the case of breaking off – and thus changes the sound permanently, or the change is reversible – as in the case of getting wet – the sound changes, but returns to the original tone when the material dries again. In this way, the wear, the decay and the breaking becomes a modulator of the sound and a designed aspect of the object.
When the bell degrades into shards and dust after frequent ringing and rainfall, the material will return to its original state. The clay becomes part of the soil, the reed becomes part of the carbon cycle again and the casein is utilised by the bacteria, fungi and microorganisms.
The bell is not meant to last forever. When striking it, a piece may break off, or when it rains, the material may become damp. This change in the bell also changes the sound it produces. The change is either irreversible – as in the case of breaking off – and thus changes the sound permanently, or the change is reversible – as in the case of getting wet – the sound changes, but returns to the original tone when the material dries again. In this way, the wear, the decay and the breaking becomes a modulator of the sound and a designed aspect of the object.
When the bell degrades into shards and dust after frequent ringing and rainfall, the material will return to its original state. The clay becomes part of the soil, the reed becomes part of the carbon cycle again and the casein is utilised by the bacteria, fungi and microorganisms.