Marcus Vergette MRSS (born 1961) is a sculptor based in the UK, much of whose recent work involves

bell A bell /ˈbɛl/ () is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be m ...

s. He is also a

double bass The double bass (), also known as the upright bass, the acoustic bass, the bull fiddle, or simply the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched string instrument, chordophone in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding rare additions ...

player and composer.

Early life and education

Vergette was born in

Carbondale, Illinois Carbondale is a city in Jackson County, Illinois, United States, within the Southern Illinois region informally known as "Little Egypt". As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 25,083, making it the most po ...

. He studied at Portsmouth School of Art,

Southern Illinois University Southern Illinois University is a system of public universities in the southern region of the U.S. state of Illinois. Its headquarters is in Carbondale, Illinois. Board of trustees The university is governed by the nine member SIU Board of T ...

and Central School of Art, London (1981-1983).

Time and Tide Bells

Vergette's ''Time and Tide Bells'' project comprises bells which are hung on the UK coast and are rung by the action of the sea at high tide. The first was installed at

Appledore Appledore may refer to: Places England * Appledore, Kent ** Appledore (Kent) railway station * Appledore, Mid Devon, near Tiverton * Appledore, Torridge, North Devon, near Bideford United States * Appledore Island, off the coast of Maine In fic ...

, Devon in 2009, the sixth at

Morecambe Morecambe ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster district of Lancashire, England, on Morecambe Bay, part of the Irish Sea. In 2011 the parish had a population of 34,768. Name The first use of the name was by John Whit ...

, Lancashire in 2019, and further installations are planned.

Other works

Vergette's first bell was created as a community project in his local village of Highampton, where he has a small farm, to celebrate the ending of the Foot and Mouth Disease epidemic of 2001, and to commemorate the animals slaughtered. His ''Listening Bell'' (2006) is on the campus of the

University of Leicester The University of Leicester ( ) is a public university, public research university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park, Leicester, Victoria Park. The university's predecessor, Univ ...

and his ''Harmonic Cannon'' or ''Canon''(2017) stands in the courtyard of Trinity Laban in Greenwich. In February 2025, Vergette was the subject of a

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

programme "Bellboy" in the series ''Illuminated''.

References

External links

* * Living people British sculptors 1961 births {{UK-sculptor-stub