The Bell's toll

Since we first visited Arcosanti, Saori and I have both been itching to get a bell. The problem is they're really expensive. The bells are pretty much the only kind of commerce supporting Arcosanti apart from the workshops, and I wanted to contribute in my own way. Plus, the bells are really cool.

Today, since Saori decided to take the day off from work, and we were in Scottsdale anyway, I decided to go check out Cosanti to look for a bell. Since the last time leaving Arcosanti without a bell, it's been in the back of my mind as something to get before we leave Phoenix. Additionally, with the promise of some money for hanging mom's new chandelier. (Darn, now I have to do it), I decided I could spend a little money to get a nice bell.

Cosanti was where Paolo Soleri got started, really. It was the prototype for Arcosanti. There are sharp contrasts between the two places. Apparently, Paolo lives in Cosanti, and we actually saw the old Italian, wearing "geezer shades" and a white undershirt talking to visitors. Cosanti has a very crafted feel to it. There is much more attention paid to experimentation with concrete textures and forms, and the whole place feels a lot lighter and more intimate than the epic and far more industrial Arcosanti. On the flip side of this, Cosanti is also the breadwinner and nerve center of the entire Arcosanti/Cosanti axis. Cosanti is a lot more heavily commercial, with bells and prices hanging everywhere, and a very elaborate showroom with many "special assemblies" and "cause bells" (increase the price by an order of magnitude). Quality of the bell wise, where there is something special about being at Arcosanti, I didn't see any bells that immediately struck me as "got to have it" that were less than a grand. Cosanti, geared more for commercial craft production than Arcosanti, seemed to have a lot better bells overall.

We both wanted a bell, and we both cared about it as a piece of artwork as well as a reminder of our time in AZ and Arcosanti (otherwise, why spend so much for a bell?) so followed an epic and amicable round of looking at all of the bells in the complex at least three times, trying to establish 1) which bells we liked the most individually, and  2) where we could find common ground. After an hour or so of wandering, ringing the bells, and looking at various bells, we finally got it down to about five bells in the runnings and finally whittled it down to two bells, the one Saori really liked and the one I really liked. In the end, we ran out of time since the store was closing, and Saori graciously acquiesced to my bell since while she liked my bell, I didn't like hers.

I'm sure the staff has never seen such lengthy negotiation over a bell under $100 before. At any rate, I'm really excited about the bell. Here it is, from a fuzzy shot from my laptop ---->