Battles & Silences

During the First and Second World Wars, church bells were widely melted down into deadly weapons. As Europe is gradually drawn into a war on its own soil, HIIIT (formerly Slagwerk Den Haag) is reversing this process with Battles & Silences. In this project, battlefield weapon debris forms the foundation for a new series of instruments and music.

In the spring of 2024, eight kilograms of Ukrainian bullet casings were melted down in Kyiv into metal bars, shipped to the Netherlands, and cast into a new bell at the Royal Eijsbouts Bell Foundry. Weighing a total of 45 kg, the bell signals the beginning of transformation—destruction is turned into beauty once more.