Increasing Intensity: the sounds of church bells in Australia one year after COVID-19

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated how a stochastic disruptive event can dramatically alter community soundscapes. Whilst religious bells are symbolic in rituals in many faiths worldwide, the sound emanating from church bells can be by nature considered public domain and are therefore not exclusive to the church. Pandemic-related interruption of these sounds impacts not only the church involved, but both the surrounding soundscape and any members of the community who ascribe value to these sounds. We examine the soundscape of Christian churches in New South Wales, to give an Australian perspective one year on from the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic. We provide an update of the situation in Australia, building on our previous work from August 2020. In doing so, we explore two different patterns of church bell ringing; change ringing and directed calling, and how each of these “non-essential” activities have been affected, both during and subsequent to the heavy community restrictions applied in Australia. We also explore to what lengths bell-ringers have undertaken to be permitted to conduct such activities, such as the use of protective equipment and/or “social distancing,” and consider what projections could be applied to similar soundscapes elsewhere in the world.