CLOSE TO THE QUIET

Close to The Quiet (2024) | Installation, Performance

Close to The Quiet was a performance installation consisting of a series of exhibits based on my visit to Thor’s Cave in the Peak District. Investigating sound pollution and human interference with the natural world, I reimagined my experience of the cave, translating location sound recordings, footage and written observations into various artefacts, combining this with my own live presence. Exploring the raw feel of a natural entity detached from the metropolitan lifestyle that I and many others have become normalised to, my installation investigated the relationship between incessant background noise and the randomness of cave sounds which were second nature to our ancestors, as well as commenting on the human imprint and our desire to take memorabilia from the natural world as though it is a gift shop. The installation was interactive, with a live sound wave monitoring spectators’ noise levels, with a still image backdrop changing colour based on varying levels of sound pollution in the space.



Close to the Quiet was commissioned to be redisplayed as part of the Earth Day 2024 programme at Central Saint Martins to demonstrate support for environmental protection.

Stills: Courtesy of Jack Tisdall and Florence Bayes

Below are two films from the installation:

Echoes from Thor’s Cave was originally projected in the space and displays footage from my visit to Thor’s Cave, with an imbedded soundscape made up of location sound recordings and spoken observations.

Cave Closed was originally displayed on a CRT Monitor and uses repeated overlayed text to demonstrate the difficulty in researching and finding a natural cave not impinged by guided tours with opening and closing hours.