NEW YORK, NY.- Public Art Fund unveiled Reverberation, a new exhibition of large-scale bells by San Francisco-based sculptor Davina Semo. Consisting of five, four-foot tall bright orange bronze bells, and housed in structures towering over 14 feet in height, Reverberation enlivens Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 1 along the New York City waterfront. From ancient times, bells have served special roles in civic life—to signal time, celebrate momentous occasions, invite people into public spaces, and summon community action. So, too, have ships traveling along the harbor sounded bells to communicate with those around them. By adapting this traditional form, Semo’s five works aim to create shared communication through their collective ringing. Titled individuall—Dreamer, Listener, Mother, Reflector, and Singer—each bell has its own voice and presence, as well as a unique configuration of holes that have been drilled through the surface to produce a differentiated character and pitch. Over the last several months, sound has taken on a new resonance, including the evening cheers to thank essential workers and the collective voices of protesters shouting out for racial justice and equality. At the same time, the bells' luminous hue evokes the international color of urgent alarm, serving as a call to action. Semo’s solo institutional debut in New York City builds on this moment, encouraging audiences to participate by ringing the bells, and in doing so, to reconsider how we communicate and engage with each other. Reverberation is Semo’s most ambitious exhibition to date, and is on view from August 20 through April 18, 2021 at Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 1.

Reverberation is one of several exhibitions mounted by Public Art Fund following New York City’s phased reopening post-COVID-19 and as the movement to end systemic racism has been reignited. As the public emerges from isolation and organizes for justice, the exhibition—which has been in development for four years—has taken on new significance, reflecting the sense of community and collective action that now echoes across the globe.

Semo’s interest in personal relationships, between people and their communities or audiences and artworks, served as a starting point for Reverberation. Its public location prompted her to adapt the conventional civic role of the bell, a theme she has explored since 2016. The new commission invites the public to ring each bell, calling out to park visitors to contemplate how we come together to occupy and navigate space. The peal of these large-scale bells along New York City’s historic East River waterfront is symbolic of the diverse ideas and voices that inhabit the city.




“Semo’s bells become a distinctive and democratized mode of public address that allows art to communicate in profound ways,” says Public Art Fund Curator Daniel S. Palmer. “They give us an opportunity to raise our voices and unite with each other, at a moment when human connection and empathy have become so precious.”

Exploring our relationship to industrial materials and the built environment, Semo used the labor-intensive lost wax process to create the five bells. She first sculpted a wax model of the bell, which was used to create a mold. In turn, she used this to create five full-scale wax bells. Then, she drilled different compositions of holes in each wax bell, bringing light to the interior of the sculptural object, altering each bell’s form, appearance, and tone. The five waxes were then cast in bronze and coated with a custom pearlescent bright orange paint that glistens with pink highlights depending on the perspective of the viewer. Semo’s desire to use these bright colors stems from the public nature of the work and refers to other colors such as safety orange and red that are used to signal warning and call the public into collective action. Their iridescent quality also draws attention to the active nature of the artworks and juxtaposition of lightness with such a heavy material. Reverberation invites audiences to reflect on different futures by asking them to join in the polyphony of sounds that activate our city, creating a dialogue and further sense of community among the public.

“Year in and year out, Public Art Fund brings something unique and engaging to Brooklyn Bridge Park,” says Brooklyn Bridge Park President Eric Landau. “This year is no different with Davina Semo’s Reverberation, and we’re thrilled to host this spectacular work at Pier 1. With so many cultural institutions closed during this difficult time, we are all grateful that PAF is able to share art in outdoor public spaces.”

Davina Semo: Reverberation is curated by Public Art Fund Curator Daniel S. Palmer.