Listen to the Voices of the Fen

“For 125 years, Wicken Fen has been one of the most watched nature spots in the UK”, says Isabel Sedgwick, Visitor Operations and Experience Manager at Wicken Fen.

“Well over 9,000 different species have been recorded here. And while birdsong has been studied here, the rich diversity of sounds, the Voices of the Fen, have never been listened to like this before.”

Artist Kathy Hinde has been recording sounds underwater, inside trees and deep underground to reveal the voices of Wicken Fen’s many species; from the curious crackling of fish and chirping of underwater insects to the sound of peat where time and carbon are locked.

The installation “Sound Pools”, along the boardwalk, enables visitors to bathe in sounds elevated into a series of overhead speakers.

“Everything in the natural world has a voice”, says Kathy, “listening together from new perspectives can foster collective empathy with nature and each other”.

The project is a partnership between Kathy Hinde, Wicken Fen and Babylon Arts, supported by public funding from the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

Claudia West, Interim Director, East, Arts Council England, said: “We are delighted to support 'Listen to the Voices of the Fen.' This initiative offers a unique opportunity for people to engage with nature through sound, deepening people's connection to the environment. We are proud to contribute, thanks to National Lottery funding, to a project that encourages audiences of all ages and abilities to experience the natural world in a new and profound way, and we eagerly anticipate the positive impact it will have on the community."

Isabel Sedgwick says, “The project will deliver a programme of creative engagement to intrigue and inspire audiences of all ages and abilities to listen to nature around them, using high and low tech methods to access often inaudible or inaccessible sounds.

“We will invite schools and communities to collaborate in a way that works for them, from participation to co-creation. A variety of tailored engagement opportunities will be promoted through partners, community groups and local networks.

“This includes Deep Listening Walks where participants listen through wireless headphones to Fen sounds picked up through microphones.”

Trialled during the nature reserve’s 125^th celebrations in May, participants were blown away by the soundscapes; one exclaimed “It was one of the best gigs ever. I have had no other sensory experience like it”.

The Sound Pools installation will be showing every day until 29^th September, between 9.30am and 5pm, and until 8pm on Thursdays in July and August (normal admission applies). In the visitor centre, a submerged microphone will broadcast live underwater sounds from a water location close by, to be listened to on headphones, as well as live-streaming on the project website bringing the hidden sounds of Wicken Fen to a global audience.

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