In the beginning, I simply called it Quiet. It’s an exploration of remote communication through intimate soundscapes. My work creates an experience, facilitating shared narratives through storytelling. Each recording invites the visitor to experience a minute-long glimpse into the personal moments of different individuals. This artwork aims to foster a sense of connection and empathy by allowing the visitor to briefly “come to know” someone else’s world—whether it’s their noisy calmness, tense evening silence, tired laughter, or sounds from an unknown space. Quiet / In Silence We Listen: Clean / When Clean, We Settle offers a moment of stillness. You are compelled to remain calm, to relax, and to truly listen to the other. Through these short audio snapshots, the listener is invited to experience a space where distance transforms into connection. 

The idea for this project was born in 2018 while I was preparing a concept to present for a lecture. I had a lecture within the curriculum called “Medienästhetik im Alltagseinsatz.” One of the texts we had to read for the seminar was Raymond Murray Schafer’s essay “Soundscape – Design für Ästhetik und Umwelt”, which presents his theory of the soundscape and the art of listening. This essay then became the basis of this project. I developed it further and began collecting recordings during the COVID-19 pandemic, when social distancing between people began. At that time, I created five recordings by giving a recorder to several people and asking them to use it for extended periods, capturing their moments of silence. It was a time when social distancing was crucial, and this project offered a way to connect despite physical separation.

After receiving the recorder back, I listened to the many hours of audio and carefully selected one minute from each recording. I really wanted to felt the blanket and the pillowcase myself, because of the process itself. The strength it takes to make them is part of the work. I love wool — its natural smell and warmth, the way it protects and keeps everything it covers safe. I knew that if I left the wool in its raw state, not everyone would want to lie on the pillow or wrap themselves in the blanket. Once again, it comes back to how distant we’ve become from one another and how we keep ourselves safe in the “cleanliness” of our isolated lives. The artwork creates a connection between people who may never meet—a different kind of acquaintance, where you might never see the other face to face, but you can hear their most intimate story in the silence of their personal space.