Nicholas Duval-Smith

  • A Call to Restoration ( Bell no. 24)
  • A Call to Restoration ( Bell no. 24)
  • A Call to Restoration ( Bell no. 24)
  • A Call to Restoration ( Bell no. 24)
  • A Call to Restoration ( Bell no. 24)
  • A Call to Restoration ( Bell no. 24)
  • A Call to Restoration ( Bell no. 24)
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A Call to Restoration (Bell no. 24) 2/2
2022-2026
Bronze, stainless steel cable, wooden and felt mallet
380mm high x 600mm wide x 400mm deep.
Price on request

This work developed from an earlier piece, Wake-up Call, and marks the artist’s first exploration of a conical bell form. Through this, they were interested in how sound might extend further through the body of the listener.

The bell continues an ongoing investigation into the flexibility of form - how variations in shape and surface can still produce tones that feel both resonant and restorative. Cast in bronze, the work carries a sense of weight, durability, and connection across time.


At its core, the piece reflects on returning - to the self, to others, and to a wider sense of connection beyond the individual.


Set within the native bush, the work invites a quiet, attentive encounter, where sound, space and environment come into alignment.


The artist hopes A Call to Restoration “helps you slow down and recall what matters to you.”

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A Call to Restoration ( Bell no. 24)
A Call to Restoration ( Bell no. 24)
A Call to Restoration ( Bell no. 24)
A Call to Restoration ( Bell no. 24)
A Call to Restoration ( Bell no. 24)
A Call to Restoration ( Bell no. 24)
A Call to Restoration ( Bell no. 24)

More from this artist

Artist Bio

Nicholas Duval-Smith works from his studio at Frost and Fire in Motueka. Born and educated in Ōtepoti (Dunedin), he studied sculpture at Otago Polytechnic School of Fine Arts (1988–1990) and completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2008.

He has exhibited widely in New Zealand and internationally, with recent highlights including Construct and Mountains (2021) and NZ Sculpture OnShore (2016). In 2023, he was named Overall Winner of the Sculpt Nature exhibition at Brook Waimārama Ecosanctuary. In 2022 he was interviewed by Karyn Hay on Radio New Zealand in relation to an exhibition that included Wake-Up Call.

Earlier exhibitions include Almost an Island (2002), Gaudi in Barcelona (2002), and community-focused projects such as the Festival of the Arts in Roxburgh and the Becroft Garden Women’s Refuge fundraising exhibition (both 2002).

His practice spans public and private commissions as well as sculptural works in stone, steel, and mixed materials, exploring form, balance, and material presence in the landscape.