Bell-ringing and occupational therapy
I have a
friend who is one of the bell-ringers at her local church. The other Sunday I
was privileged to be able to sit squashed up in a corner of the bell-tower,
watching the bell-ringers in action for 45 minutes, calling the congregation to
the church.
Have you ever watched people ring bells? It’s
fascinating.
As an
occupational therapist and occupational scientist I find it particularly
fascinating because I have a set of concepts that help me to explore what is
going on, and I have a language to describe what I see. So I don’t just see a group of people pulling on ropes, making a lot
of noise; I see people engaged in a common occupation, which has an
identifiable form and which invites a range of performances from the
individuals thus engaged.
The form of bell-ringing
As I sat
squashed in my corner (“sit
very still, and we advise you not to cross your legs, as you don’t
want your foot to get caught in a rope as it swings up”) I reflected on my total ignorance about this activity and
yet, as someone interested in occupation, I was mentally filing aspects of the
occupational form under headings of ‘human’, temporal’, ‘environment’, ‘objects’. There were physical artefacts: tools and equipment that the bell-ringers
were very familiar with. There were the 8 long ropes hanging down from holes in
the ceiling, each apparently controlling a huge bell. The bells, however, were
invisible and I struggled to imagine the process of rocking and turning them
which I was told was happening. In the centre of the room was a table with old
books on it, and also some bottles of liquid which the ringers used occasionally
on their hands, though, as an outsider, I don’t
know the reason for this. You will see that the form of a complex occupation
such as this cannot be fully understood by an outsider; true understanding
comes through engagement.
In terms
of environment, the bell tower was small and ancient. Reader, I want you to
know that I felt the tower sway as the bells rung! I believe this is quite
normal, and it has been happening for a 350 years or so, but nonetheless ...... (I’m
told that, if the tower were absolutely rigid, it would be damaged by the
action of these heavy bells, all swinging together).
There
were rules and formalities involved in the bell-ringing, and sequences of
events that were important (five minutes at the beginning and the end of the
session were devoted to getting the bells up into position and bringing them
back). It was difficult to differentiate between the roles played by each
person, but I could see that there was someone in charge (the Tower Captain, I
later discovered) who called instructions, and who gently reprimanded those who
had rung wrongly. My friend had explained that the eight bells are not rung to
play tunes, but to ring out ‘methods’, based on number patterns.
Bell-ringing
is an ancient occupation serving a town’s formal Christian worship,
and helping to mark occasions such as weddings, funerals and national
celebrations. The walls of the bell-tower held lists of successful peals rung
from this tower (a peal is 3 hours of non-stop ringing without mistakes, I am
told). There were also other intriguing documents and records that the outsider
finds difficult to understand. This is an occupation embedded in a broader
culture, history and community, whilst this particular team of bell-ringers
also has its own micro-level culture, history and community.
Take a
look at their website http://bingleybells.btck.co.uk/
and while you’re there, look at the two
youtube videos to hear the bells and see the occupational performance.
Individual performance
The eight
people who were pulling on the bell ropes had similarities and differences.
They were maybe between 18 and 70 years old, half men and half women with
different heights and physiques. They appeared to have different levels of experience.
It is not my field of expertise, but I tried to assess which were the main
muscle groups being employed as the ropes were pulled down to swing the heavy
bells. Different techniques were used. I could see arms (triceps?, deltoid?),
backs (trapezius?), abdomens and legs brought into play.
More
intriguingly to me, I could see different techniques being used for keeping
counts and rhythms when ringing the methods. Some watched each other, some
watched the Captain, some moved their lips as they recited numbers or something
else. The level of concentration was palpable. This occupation requires
techniques and abilities that are physical, cognitive and subtly social.
And what
else?
Being
interested in occupational form and performance can be very distracting and
all-absorbing. I made sure, during my short visit, that I listened to the bells
and experienced their glorious noise. It is important to appreciate, as well as
analyse.
I could
continue my analysis for another 2000 words, after all, my own research interests
lie with the meanings of occupations, but to access those, I would need, I
think, to talk to the bell-ringers themselves. I won’t do that just now. Instead I’ll
stop here and offer 2 thoughts. (1) Next time you hear church bells ringing,
consider the efforts, skills and enjoyment of those responsible. (2) Next time
you encounter an activity that you haven't thought about before, think about it
deeply.
Dr Jackie Taylor
