Cave Waves: Environmental sound art

This tool was developed as part of Cultural Cwtsh, which was an online creative wellbeing hub for the health and care workforce in Wales, created by the Arts Council of Wales in collaboration with artists across the country.

In partnership with the Arts Council of Wales, we’re excited to share this mental wellbeing tool, alongside with many other creative resources, with everyone in Wales!

Hi there, my name is Cheryl. I was a mainstream musician all my life until I awoke suddenly seven years ago with hearing loss, tinnitus and hyperacusis.

I have a marvellous audiologist and two fantastic hearing aids that have turned my life around, so much so that I wondered, what is the technology that makes them work and could it be the art itself?

From that thought, I began a fascinating creative journey, repurposing hearing aid technology to collate the natural biorhythms of nature and then use these visual readings to compose music and sound art that represent the voice of the natural world itself.

You might think … visual sound? How can you see sound? Well, we see sound all the time – for instance, heart monitors enable you to see the sound of the heart.

I’ve made two films; one is an explainer, encouraging the viewer to open their sensory experience of nature, showing how I begin my environmental sound art process. The second is a collaboration with a young up-and-coming filmmaker, Jarro Wimbush from Manjaro Media.

Film one – Wave Caves

Wrap up warm and come with me to get up close and personal with the beach at Llanelli. See how to work with the environment itself when navigating the elements, and learn how to make your own recordings within the natural world.

Film two – Shifting Harbours

Lean into the sounds of nature and fly with a flock of seagulls across the waves at Llanelli beach.

Travel along what was the harbour in years gone by, but that has now shifted along the shore.

Enjoy the lighthouse at Burry Port with a bird’s eye view, and race across the sands of Pembrey beach on a cold December morning, whilst listening to music composed from the marine biorhythms of our coastline.