The ‘Contemplative Meeting-Place’ sound sculpture by Anton Hasell features a simple and elegant stainless-steel structure and parabolic bronze bell that invites visitors to play sound patterns on with their hands, individually and in groups.
The participatory nature of the artwork seeks to draw community together in a shared creative play experience and encourages connection through personal imaginative responses. Evoking the nearby rippling sea, the bell emits a clear single pitch at C# 138.6 Hertz reminiscent of the famous Buddhist “Om” to provoke a meditative gateway for listeners into thoughtful contemplation.
In response to the surrounding landscape and the vision for the new memorial park as a peaceful and relaxing environment for investigation and discovery of the Park’s littoral biome, the sculpture adds to the multi-sensory natural beauty of the seaside landscape and offers a renewable site experience, that is, the site experience is changeable in some important way at every new visit people make to the site.
People have always enjoyed the calm place where the river meets the sea, and have commemorated those who have fought and died for their country. This special bell-sculpture is intended to add to the mediative, contemplative quality of the park. Bells have important cultural meaning to diverse cultures around the world. This harmonic bell, invented in Australia, has the clearest pitch salience of any bell in the world. Tuned to the C# pitch of 138.6Herts, reputedly the sacred ‘Ohm’ Buddhist pitch, the bell’s gentle, pure voice and long duration from a patting hand will compliment views of the ocean’s distant horizon, and the park’s ambient beauty. Here is a public-space site experience that calls all community members to join together in the shared joy of reflection and remembering. — Dr. Anton Hasell
People have always enjoyed the calm place where the river meets the sea, and have commemorated those who have fought and died for their country. This special bell-sculpture is intended to add to the mediative, contemplative quality of the park. Bells have important cultural meaning to diverse cultures around the world. This harmonic bell, invented in Australia, has the clearest pitch salience of any bell in the world. Tuned to the C# pitch of 138.6Herts, reputedly the sacred ‘Ohm’ Buddhist pitch, the bell’s gentle, pure voice and long duration from a patting hand will compliment views of the ocean’s distant horizon, and the park’s ambient beauty. Here is a public-space site experience that calls all community members to join together in the shared joy of reflection and remembering.
In 2023, Council sought to upgrade The Beauty Spot Park in Carrum as part of Council’s commitment to providing quality parks and open spaces for the whole community. The Beauty Spot Park covers an area of 1.2 acres and offers residents a great space for various outdoor recreational activities including boating and rock fishing along the river. Recognising and retaining historical attributes of the site, the sculptural artwork plays a key role for local communities both in ANZAC day and Remembrance Day memorial services.
The Beauty Spot, Nepean Highway, Carrum 3197 View Map
The Beauty Spot, Nepean Highway , Carrum 3197