Photo by Daniel Tarshish
ABOUT BARRY MASON
After an initial training as a fine artist I spent decades creating sculpture in many materials. My works are in private and public collections around the world.
I have always had a parallel passion for music and discovered the world of the gong, sound therapy and healing about fifteen years ago. I have been fortunate to collaborate with several leading gong practitioners playing handpan and other percussion instruments alongside the gongs.
I have previously made gongs in copper, stainless steel and brass but an encounter with an extraordinary titanium gong set the path for future projects. I now work with pure elemental titanium.
I was fortunate to be a student of Keith Critchlow who introduced us to the world of sacred geometry. Keith wrote many books on the subject and went on to be principal of Prince Charles’s Art School. Many of the images that I now use have their genesis in this work.
I have also been inspired by the work of John Stuart Reid and his scientific work to make sound visible.
Here is a link to a video about my gongs
You can read more about my sculpture work here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Mason_(sculptor)
A combination of the extreme hardness and the hexagonal crystalline structure of pure, elemental titanium makes it the perfect resonant metal which can offer a greater sonic range and sustain than more commonly used alloys.