A sound installation in Whitehaven by an award-winning artist will be played for the first time this week.
By Sound Near Seawall, by the Turner Prize-winning artist Susan Philipsz, will sound out from Whitehaven Harbour from Friday, May 24, and will continue to be heard on the hour from 10am until 5pm every day.
You can hear it here first:
The artwork is a two-channel sound installation and was created by recording the sound of two conch shells from the Caribbean.
They are played from two horn speakers installed on the North Pier and West Pier lighthouses.
By Sound Near Seawall is the second of a series of artworks to be revealed to offer additional points of interest along the Cumbrian Coast.
They are part of Cumberland Council’s coastal programme funded by the UK Government’s Coastal Communities Fund and Sellafield Ltd’s Six Social Impact Multiplied programme.
Darren Crossley, Cumberland Council’s director of place sustainable growth and transport, said: “The coastal programme aims to strengthen the coastal destination offer for both residents and visitors and increase sustainable employment opportunities by shining the spotlight on Cumbria’s largely undiscovered stretch of coastline.
“We are grateful for the kind permission of the Harbour Commissioners to site this work at Whitehaven Harbour.”
Artist Susan said: “The lighthouses on Whitehaven Harbour are incredible landmarks and I immediately thought I would like to connect them through sound.”
In addition to the sound installation, Cumberland Council has supported Lake District National Park Authority with the development of the Eskdale Trail, featuring local artist Chris Brammell and last month saw the installation of Ryan Gander’s Chronos Kairos 23:59 at Seascale.
The council is working with other partners and will be revealing further commissioned artworks at various coastal locations during 2024.
Completed elements of the programme that aim to bring art, adventure and improved infrastructure to the coast include improvements to cycleways and footpaths at Eskdale and St Bees path; new activities at Muncaster Castle; Supporting inclusive cycling through Wheels for All events and taster sessions in Whitehaven and Millom and Six West Cumbria Tale Trail maps for Whitehaven, Silecroft, Ravenglass, St Bees, Seascale and Haverigg.
Silecroft café is also nearing completion and the next stage is to advertise for an operator, the council said.
