Town Centre installation brings the Mendip Hills to an empty shop
28 July 25
During July, we invited the public to experience a unique immersive soundscape exploring the landscape, plants, people and wildlife of the Mendip Hills and Weston-super-Mare.
View In was installed in a meanwhile space at The Sovereign in the heart of the town and over 900 people, including pupils from secondary and primary schools, relaxed on huge bean bags and bales of hay to enjoy this soundscape, co-authored by artists Gwyneth Herbert, Jason Singh and Chris Howard.
Through poems, interviews, field recordings and tree biosonification, the audio traces through layers of time, soil, stone and roots to reveal the ancestors of the caves, the dying song of the ash trees, the birds of the plateau. Hear the song of the ghost of Charterhouse, the tales of a Mendip storyteller, and the voices of children from Weston. All of the sounds are recorded in Weston or on Mendip.
When asked how the installation made them feel, here’s how a few members of the public replied:
“Relaxed, connected to myself and the earth. Peaceful. Made me rethink some life choices and opened my eyes”
“Moved by the cries, the calls, the prophetic words. Concerned but educated about the Mendips. Felt I heard the call of the earth and its people”
“Warm memories of growing up on Windmill Hill, learning to spend more time in rural countryside and not take it for granted”
“Human! Emotional. Connected to a place where I still feel an outsider. In love with nature. Grateful.”
If you didn’t make the installation or would like to listen again, we invite you to grab a cuppa, sit back and take in the sounds of the Mendip Hills, here:
And we also invite you to immerse yourself in the natural world through ‘View Out’, an augmented reality trail of Mendip, accessible in any one of three locations – Weston’s South Ward, Uphill and the Mendip Hills near Winscombe.
Download the FREE app and explore the native species and sounds of nature through interactive audio and animated illustrations. Find more information and consult a map at Mendip Hills National Landscape website, HERE.
‘View In, View Out’ (VIVO) was commissioned by the Mendip Hills National Landscape Team and the National Landscapes Association as part of Nature Calling, in partnership with Activate Performing Arts and Poetry School.
Produced by Super Culture and Sound UK.
Funded by Arts Council England, Defra and the Mendip Hills National Landscape Team
Lead image by Paul Blakemore, taken at View In, The Sovereign, WsM.