Nicholas Duval-Smith

  • Wake-Up Call (A Vibration From Within)
  • Wake-Up Call (A Vibration From Within)
  • Wake-Up Call (A Vibration From Within)
  • Wake-Up Call (A Vibration From Within)
  • Wake-Up Call (A Vibration From Within)
  • Wake-Up Call (A Vibration From Within)
  • Wake-Up Call (A Vibration From Within)
  • Wake-Up Call (A Vibration From Within)
  • Wake-Up Call (A Vibration From Within)
  • Wake-Up Call (A Vibration From Within)
  • Wake-Up Call (A Vibration From Within)
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Wake-up Call (a vibration from within), 2021
Corten steel, bronze, 24k gold leaf, driftwood
2390mm x 1500mm
Price on request

Nestled in native bush at the top of the sculpture trail’s ‘figure-8 loop’ boardwalk, visitors will encounter Nicholas Duval-Smith’s majestic Wake-Up Call. Recently installed, but seeming to have been stationed in this spot forever, this artwork has a sense of being timeless and other-worldly.

Framed by three elegant corten steel legs which have a creature-like quality, the large bell hovers in the centre, and upon first discovery there is a sense of gentle anticipation, perhaps even apprehension. As the subtitle ‘a vibration from within’ infers, Wake-Up Call is an interactive sculpture, designed to invite visitors to sit beneath the bell. What is interesting about this act is that it immediately breaks away from the more typical interaction we tend to have with artworks - look, but don’t touch. Furthermore, sitting beneath a large bronze bell, ducking one’s head to be encased within it, requires an element of trust. Once inside, the gold leaf provides a view of a gorgeous glowing chamber which elevates the experience to be one that feels reverent and sacred.

But the experiential emphasis of this work is that of the sound it produces. With the use of Smith’s hand-carved mallet, visitors are invited to strike the exterior of the bronze bell, which provides a rich yet delicate scope of vibrations and therefore sound frequencies. Given the dome-like encasement of the bell, the ‘surround-sound’ effect is effervescent, and both calming and invigorating.

As Duval-Smith notes, “Bells can connect us with the metaphysical, within and without. This is observed in both Eastern and Western cultures. Wake-up Call is an ethereal interactive artwork, inviting the visitor to experience a meditative moment listening to a spectrum of sound frequencies. It may also serve as an opportunity to connect with the self or as a channel to broadcast wishes of hope or joy.”

+ Enquire
Wake-Up Call (A Vibration From Within)
Wake-Up Call (A Vibration From Within)
Wake-Up Call (A Vibration From Within)
Wake-Up Call (A Vibration From Within)
Wake-Up Call (A Vibration From Within)
Wake-Up Call (A Vibration From Within)
Wake-Up Call (A Vibration From Within)
Wake-Up Call (A Vibration From Within)
Wake-Up Call (A Vibration From Within)
Wake-Up Call (A Vibration From Within)
Wake-Up Call (A Vibration From Within)

More from this artist

Artist Bio

Nicholas Duval-Smith was born and educated in Ōtepoti (Dunedin). He studied at the Otago Polytechnic School of Fine Arts from 1988 to 1990, and again in 2007 and 2008, majoring in sculpture and jewellery. He now lives in Motueka, and his studio is at Frost and Fire, the Tasman gallery and workspace started by Darryl Frost.

Education:
2008: Otago Polytechnic School of Fine Arts – Bachelor of Fine Arts (jewellery)
2007: Otago Polytechnic School of Fine Arts – Graduate Diploma of Fine Arts (jewellery)
1990: Otago Polytechnic School of Fine Arts – Diploma of Fine Arts (sculpture)

Duo Exhibition:
October 2021: Construct (Parker Gallery, Nelson)

Group Exhibitions:
2021: Mountains Red Gallery, Nelson
2016: Shapeshifter, Lower Hutt
2016: NZ Sculpture OnShore, Auckland
2006: ShapeShifter Frederic Wallis House, Lower Hutt
2005: 21 Peninsula Artists Community Gallery, Dunedin
2004: Garden Art Cleveland Living Arts Centre, Dunedin
2002: Gaudi in Barcelona at Grupo Batik, Spain
2002: Almost an Island, Broad Bay, Dunedin
2002: Festival of the Arts guest artist, Roxburgh
2002: Becroft Garden Women’s Refuge fundraising exhibition, Auckland
2002: Friends of Tibet Community Gallery, Dunedin
2000: Cleveland Art Awards, Cleveland Living Arts Centre, Dunedin
1999: Christmas Show, Renaissance Gallery, Dunedin
1998: Group exhibition, Everything Inc. Gallery, Dunedin
1997: Friends of Tibet, Community Gallery, Dunedin
1997: Graft, Botanical Gardens, Dunedin
1997: A Prospect of Flowers, Bond Street Galleries, Dunedin
December Watercolour, Arc Cafe, Dunedin

Solo Exhibitions:
2004: Now and Then, Artigiano, Auckland
2000: Inaugural, Sculpture Gallery, Moray Place, Dunedin
2000: The Picnic, Fringe Festival, Dunedin
1992: Wedding, No. 5 Gallery, Dunedin
1990: No. 5 Gallery, Dunedin

Commercial Commissions:
2004: Carved chocolate sculpture for Cadburys Midwinter Festival
2002: Made reproductions of Aztec sculptures for Cadbury World, Dunedin
2002: Made Community Award for TrustPower NZ
2001: large wall mounted relief and three freestanding pieces for Hope and Sons, funeral parlour, Dunedin
1997: Completed 2.5 tonne Oamaru Stone sculpture (Meeting Point) commissioned by the Dunedin City Council and sponsored by Ansett New Zealand for the 1997 Dunedin Festival