About 900 VOICES

St Giles Cathedral has a vital history as the high church of Edinburgh, a focal point of community through the city’s history.

To mark its 900th anniversary this project aims to do something of a cultural census, taking inspiration from ‘Mass Observation’ and oral history projects to create the palette of spoken encounters from which the installation will be composed. The composition will engage with the content of what is spoken about, the rhythms and musicality of spoken languages and the auditory space in which it is set.

Ecclesiastical architecture in general is often designed to heighten the human voice, whether that be a singular preaching voice or massed singing voices. St Giles’ is no exception. The installation engages with both the beauty of the space but also the acoustic properties of the different aisles and areas of this historic building. 

The composition will be designed to be evolving and ever changing. It will provide an exciting and physical way to explore the conversations.

The having and gathering of conversations and the editing and programming of the piece are considered to be equally important aspects of the 900 Voices project.