DarkQuiet

DarkQuiet Shoreline 2025

cork, steel, solar-powered sound and light, reflective material

DarkQuiet shoreline aims to recalibrate the audience’s sensory experience of the site. As the artists note: ‘Too bright. Too loud. Noise and the glare of spectacle threaten to overwhelm human and non-human alike. Our response is an experience that builds awareness of the impacts of sound and light on the ecologies of place. Two spaces across the site are designed as apertures to frame and enhance moments of darkness and quietness. Audiences may gather quietly in the evening or day to experience states of attunement to the place, like the sound of the turning tide.’ As part of the Biennale’s Sculpture+ program, DarkQuiet will activate this work through a nocturnal site walk led by the artists, using red head torches to explore the subtle sensory experience around and nearby the ‘attunement space’ of their artwork.

DarkQuiet is the collaborative project of Narrm/Melbourne based artists Madeleine Flynn, Tim Humphrey and Jenny Hector. Formed in 2020, this artist collective creates sound and light installations to explore principles and practices that consider their ecological impacts. As artists working with sound and light, an awareness of these impacts creates inherent tension. DarkQuiet embraces this tension and seeks to refocus ways of experiencing the rich complexity and fragility of the world. The first iteration of DarkQuiet was commissioned and presented at Bundanon (2022-2023).

Madeleine Flynn and Tim Humphrey have a long-term collaborative practice, driven by a curiosity and questioning about listening in human culture. Recent projects include: Pivot (Setouchi Triennale, Japan); Brighton Festival (United Kingdom); World Science Festival (Brisbane); Sonica (Glasgow); MONA FOMA (Tasmania); the megaphone project (Sydney Opera House); Hong Kong Festival; and ANTI Festival (Finland). They have been awarded the Australian Council Award for Experimental Practice; Green Room Awards for Excellence in Hybrid Arts; and Australian National AMC-APRA Awards for Excellence in Experimental Music.

Jenny Hector holds a Bachelor of Drama from the Victorian College of the Arts (1992). Her work as a lighting and set designer has been experienced nationally and internationally, most recently with Kamila Andini’s The Seen and The Unseen for Asia TOPA (Jakarta, Singapore and Melbourne), Sydney Chamber Opera’s The Howling Girls (Tokyo Festival World Competition 2019) and X-Risk (Kuopio, Finland).

This project was generously supported by patrons Phil Rounsevell and Nelson Estrella.

Images: DarkQuiet Overnight at DarkQuiet attunement space #4, Bundanon, 2024 (top); Jenny Hector, Tim Humphrey and Madeleine Flynn (bottom). Courtesy the artists.

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