FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS
A declaration of hope
“Otherworldly…unforgettable…this work gave me a renewed belief in hope…”
Audience Member
A hope is not a wish, but a protest for what is possible.
Performed at dusk below an iconic bell, Bridie Hooper invites you to share your hopes and bear witness to a series of performed passages that inspire a reconsideration of our unity and connection.
Drawing on the bell’s sonic wonder, the virtuosity of circus, and the intimacy of the invitation, each hope is transformed through a personalised physical rite, ascending to its release in the distinctive sound of the tolling bell.
Ringing out across the landscape, these calls to action celebrate the power of hope, empowering us through an innately human experience.
What do you hope for?
Director/Artist- Bridie Hooper
Bell Concept, Design and Tuning- Anton Hasell
Dramaturg- Liesel Zink
Composer – Lawrence English
Set Design- Josh McIntosh
Lighting Design - Steven May
Artistic Mentor- Ida Sophia
Original Season Producer- Tom Pritchard
ABOUT THE WORK
Part installation, part interactive performance, For Whom The Bell Tolls is a transformative public art experience.
Merging circus, participatory art and a tolling bell, this work activates the unique or quotidian spaces as locations where art and community meet and thrive
The hour-long work consists of a series of cyclic, intimate rituals of exchange punctuated with the performer’s ascent to toll a bell suspended up to 10m high. It invites audience members to share their deepest hope one-to-one with the artist, whose personalised physical reply forms an intimate dialogue with the participant, culminating in the hope’s transformation, celebration and release in sonic form.
Through the aural resonance of the bells tolling the sound frequencies surrounding onlookers will be altered, momentarily placing everybody on the same wave-length -a powerful uniting of energy through sonic frequency, inspiring a reconsideration of our unity and connection through hope.
PAST SEASONS
Night Feast Festival, Brisbane Powerhouse, 2023
Junction Arts Festival, 2025
A huge thank you to the generosity of our donors who have contributed to the premiere season of For Whom The Bell Tolls. Your support is deeply appreciated.
Jacinta Hooper
Derek Hooper + Marg Cameron
Anonymous
Este Darin-Cooper
Nathan Boyle
Marty Evans
Joe Taylor
Linda Nakell & Robert Dawson
Jennifer McDonald
Anonymous
Angela and Reece Maxwell
Lucinda Hooper
Benjamin Knapton
Catherine Frederick
Gabrielle Taylor
Billie Wison-Coffey
Anonymous
For
Whom the Bell Tolls is supported by the Australian Government through
the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body,
the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland and is supported
through the Australian Cultural Fund. It has received additional support
from the wonderful ShawCandy, Brisbane Powerhouse, Circa and Flipside
Circus. The premiere season was made possible thanks to the generosity
of all those who donated to its fundraising campaign.