Seo Hye Lee presents [sound of subtitles], a silent film in which the same images are repeated across three screens. These images are accompanied by a different type of subtitle in each frame: one action based, one abstract and one music based. Seo Hye examines the subtle nuances between language and sound, connecting the forming of clay with shaping language and communication from movement, gesture and feeling.

The film explores the history and visuality of subtitles, emphasising the distinction between ‘hearing’ and ‘listening’ and encourages you to conjure your own interpretation of sounds and events. Alongside the film, subtitles float across the wall untethered from the visuals of the film, prompting you to consider your own sonic memories.

Seo Hye has always required subtitles or closed captions while watching TV and film. As someone who grew up without the experience of pop music culture, she always enjoyed the idea of rethinking what music might sound like, in a more abstracted form, connecting the sounds to various emotions. This work puts us as viewers in this position, without a collective understanding of what the [sound of still silence] is. Regardless of level of hearing, we can explore our own unique soundscape and reimagine the meaning of listening.

This work was co-commissioned by University of Salford Art Collection and videoclub.