Ringing to it's Own Beat: Databells Art Installation is Groundbreaking Work

From the unassuming garage on Carling Ave, boasting a quippy banana-clad road sign, is an artist who has pivoted from a career in engineering and data science to making some of the most groundbreaking conceptual art Ottawa has ever seen.

Artist Rich Loen opened the doors of his studio-gallery last year, inviting the public to finally discover what Loen.Design Studio actually was. Years of curiosity had been building, with his whimsical road sign inciting widespread curiosity. The 'Peeking In' event of 2024 was emphatically received by the Ottawa arts community and Ottawa residents alike, bringing in hundreds of visitors over the weekend exhibition event at Rich's Salon Des Bananes gallery.

After almost a year of growing anticipation, Rich is finally debuting his latest masterpiece, with a marquee event that is poised to resonate all across Ottawa and beyond.

This multi-part installation work features a quirky collection of over 100 bells, all bound by an intricate algorithm, which not only allows the bells to ring in relation to the statistic they're connected to, it also allows the entire exhibition to ring in concert with itself, giving rise to ephemeral melodies unique to each iteration of the installation being turned on. And how does Databells turn on? A door bell no less. A door bell attached to a real door, complete with hospitable, glowing coach-lamps.

Databells is not a typical art installation; it is, instead, the very embodiment of Yoko Ono's philosophy that art is a verb, not a noun. The installation is designed to make you feel, to be a sensorial experience, wherein you explore, discover, and are immersed by lights, sounds, data, and emotions.

Debuting at the Salon Des Bananes gallery, Databells is scheduled for a magical opening night event on September 20th, with a live piano performance by John Kofi Dapaah - one of Ottawa most celebrated musicians.

The work of art is a witness to it's time

Glenn McInnes, Co-Founder of the Ottawa Art Gallery

It'll give you hope, that there is a future for humans

Ross Rheaume, President of Art in the Park

One of the most compelling features of the Databells installation is its capacity to evoke an emotional response - from amusement to awe, sorrow to nostalgia, the "statistical symphony" is resonant. As you meander through the exhibition, reading the little signs gingerly placed by each bell, denoting the statistic they represent, you are faced with some facet of the human experience and the universe we find ourselves in.

The interesting thing about bells, and building a project around them, is that bells are multicultural. There are bells everywhere. There are bells on every continent and every country and city, and in everyone's life. Bells tell you when to go to the next class. Bells tell you when someone got married or someone died. Bells will tell you that an attack is coming or a fire is occurring. Bells have these built-in emotions to them—happiness and sadness, and alarm and fear. That's the incredible platform that this project is built on.

Rich Loen, artist

Within a dimly lit room, tiny twinkling lights showcase a parade of bells from cow bells to fire alarm bells, school bells to brass bells, and even a gong. The lights are a cue - they spotlight a bell right before it rings, making the room feel alive, effervescent, and dynamic.

This is a transcendent art experience, that you definitely will not want to miss.

To find out more about the Databells events, and to get tickets, visit:

https://www.salondesbananes.com/databells