Scallop Shell at Aldeburgh
by Maggi Hambling
'A Conversation with the Sea'
On Aldeburgh's beach, a short distance north of the town centre, stands Maggi hambling's sculpture to celebrate the British composer Benjamin Britten, who used to walk along the beach in the afternoons, was unveiled on Aldeburgh beach, Suffolk, on 8th November 2003
Created from 10mm stainless steel by Suffolk-based artist Maggi Hambling, it stands 4.10 metres high by 4.60m by 4.25m and is made up of two interlocking scallop shells, each broken, the upright shell being pierced with the words: "I hear those voices that will not be drowned", which are taken from Britten's opera Peter Grimes. The sculpture is meant to be enjoyed both visually and tactilely, and people are encouraged to sit on it and watch the sea.
Awarded the first Marsh Award for Excellence in public sculpture, November 2005.
Maggi Hambling
Maggi Hambling's Scallop, a monument to the great musician and composer and a celebration of the origins of his music. The sea shell reminds us that music is listened to and we think of the ear as being like a shell. As children we listen to shells for the the sound of the sea.
The sculpture can be seen as an image of listening. The art of music was born out of listening to the sounds of nature and replying to them, giving voice to the deepest human desire, to create order out of apparent chaos. In this way we shall see, the sculpture refers to the beginnings in nature of all art.
The sounds of the North Sea – wind, wave and bird cry – are unrelenting, unstoppable: on the Suffolk coast they are augmented by the rhythmic crash, wash and drag of its breaking waves on the great shingle shoreline. It is an absolute presence, there for as long as there are ears to hear it. It was a constant reality in Benjamin Britten's life at the place where he lived and worked, created a marvellous festival of music, and in which he set one of his greatest works, Peter Grimes. The 'Sea Interludes' of that opera are among the most beautiful evocations of the sounds of the sea in all music.
For the full description of the work take a look at Maggie Hambling's website
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