With the sixth annual National Bell Festival just around the corner, bell foundries and bell ringers are awash in preparations. From coast to coast, ropes are being tested and refitted, louvers are being oiled and cranked, and bells are getting those final attentions before resounding in a jubilant clamor on New Year’s Day.
Here in Washington, D.C., plans are coming together for the unveiling of three new bells. One of these, aptly named the Litter Bell, was cast from reclaimed and salvaged metals. Over 179 lbs. of discarded metals were amassed from parks and rivers in the D.C. area and shipped to The Verdin Company, a six-generation family of bell makers, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Soon, those bits of bronze, brass, copper, and tin will be melted down to form the new bell. But how will it look?
Design of the Litter Bell
The Litter Bell is set to be installed at the Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum, home of the Center for Environmental Justice. To reflect the origins of the bell itself, the installation was designed to merge the natural environment with the built environment. A locally-sourced boulder will be craned into position near the museum’s main entrance. A hole will then be bored directly through the stone, allowing a metal shaft to slide through and support a suspended bell above.
The bell will be engraved with the text, “DO NOT LITTER” – an on-the-nose supplication and reminder of the human toll on earth. The bell will be sounded with the quick swing of an internal clapper. Together, the assemblage will offer an interactive experience for museum visitors. As long as the Litter Bell will ring, it will speak to the importance of adhering to that age-old maxim: reduce, reuse, recycle – and don't litter!
Cover image: A sketch of the proposed Litter Bell installation.
