Maya Lin: Bell Tower

Maya Lin's Bell Tower is located in Guangdong, China. More specifically, at the University of Shantou. It was created in 2011 and consists of a 75-foot-tall freestanding concrete wall and a custom stainless steel structure that ramps up around the concrete wall to support a traditional Chinese bell hanging about 70 feet above ground. The bell is an actual bell that weighs about 5,000 pounds.  The tower also lights up capturing both the digital age and Chinese tradition of candle lighting.  This piece of work by Maya Lin interested me due to its unique look.  I admired how she used the bell to compliment the tower as opposed to simply placing the bell on top of the tower.  By doing this Maya Lin allows her audience to observe two different pieces instead of one.