András Berecz: The Growth Rings of Bells
In András Berecz’s macro photographs, the marks left by the clappers on the bell’s surface function as lyrical painterly gestures. The interplay of wear, friction, and light effects—along with their reflections—on the layered, bronze surfaces, which break down into various shades of green, blue, red, and yellow, gives rise to patterns that are both painterly and sacred. By exploiting the mechanisms of action arising from the unique properties of the oxidation processes of the bells’ raw materials—a distinctive alloy of bronze, copper, and tin—András Berecz has created aesthetic quality through the lens of his camera. The photographs evoke the forms of plant and animal shapes and objects, which, acting as time capsules, preserve their centuries-old secrets. History comes alive in these photographs, offering a glimpse into the science of bell casting as well as the fates of the communities and individuals that emerged behind the sounds of bells ringing over the centuries. Berecz does not merely showcase the “sounds of the towers”; he also dedicates photographs to bells that have fallen silent, deprived of their voices, in order to preserve a moment in time for each of them.
Schedule
The practice of ringing bells regularly, several times a day, was decreed by Pope Sebastianus in 606 to call the faithful to prayer. With the adoption of Christianity in Hungary, the custom of ringing bells spread at the same time, and the noon bell ringing became a Hungarian tradition, commemorating the victory at Nándorfehérvár—the day, July 22, 1456, when the Hungarian and Serbian armies, led by János Hunyadi and János Kapisztrán, defeated the Ottoman invaders. The “Noon Bell Ringing” has been a regular program on Kossuth Radio since 1925; it is the most peaceful broadcast ever, in which we hear the sound of a bell from a different location every day—from somewhere in our country or across the border—accompanied by a brief historical overview.
At the exhibition, visitors can explore the bell’s housing, yoke, rope, and the surfaces of its other parts, but the people who ring them play a prominent role. Bell ringers possess ancient knowledge that is slowly dying out, as electronics take over the role of manual labor. This is precisely why it is important to document and showcase not only the bell ringers themselves but also their predecessors, who inscribed their names and terms of service on the walls or bricks of the bell towers to leave a mark for posterity.
Text by Réka Fazakas
Curator: György Szegő
Kunsthalle Budapest
The largest exhibition hall in Budapest, in Heroes Square, just the opposite the Museum of Fine Arts.
