Scallop

A view of Maggi Hambling’s sculpture, on the beach at Aldeburgh, composed of interlocking metal shells four metres high,  known as ‘Scallop’. A tribute to local son Benjamin Britten, the corrugated steel form is pierced with the words: “I hear those voices that will not be drowned”, from the composer’s opera Peter Grimes.

The artist invites you to sit at the centre of the sculpture “and contemplate the mysterious power of the sea”. To do so opens up new possibilities of interpretation: the scallop can become a bird, a ship,  or other artefact created by the observer’s imagination, depending on where the viewer stands.

The piece is located at the northern edge of the town, allowing visitors to contemplate it in peace, away from the numerous visitors.