The iconic sound sculpture "Silent Echoes: Notre Dame" by renowned American sound artist Bill Fontana is set to make its UK debut at Wells Cathedral from May 11 to July 3, 2023. The installation, originally commissioned for a partnership between the Pompidou Centre and IRCAM in Paris, has been specially adapted by Fontana for the historic setting of Wells Cathedral's medieval Undercroft.

"Silent Echoes: Notre Dame" is a response to the devastating fire at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris in April 2019. Currently reduced to silence during the rebuilding, the cathedral’s ten bells nonetheless remain extraordinary recesses of sound. Each one responds through its individual tonality to the noises of the restoration worksite, the wind, and the murmurs of the city.

Using seismic accelerators attached directly to the metal of each bell, Fontana uses these swirling aural vibrations as the raw material for a multi-layered, ever-changing soundscape.

For more information, please visit the Wells Cathedral website or contact the Cathedral at events@wellscathedral.org.uk