Video, 05:37

Historically, mist and fog frequently lingered along Cornwall’s south coast, clinging to the landscape for long stretches of the colder months. The foghorn would activate automatically in these conditions, becoming a familiar presence in the town’s daily rhythms. Yet like many coastal foghorns across Cornwall, it has been prone to irregularities—periods of relentless blasts through day and night, and more recently, long and uneasy silences.
Working directly with boatmen from the once-bustling fishing community of Looe, The Listener’s attempts to re-sound the legacy of the foghorn through the memories of those most sonically connected to it. Combining analogue sound-scaping with interview footage, the vidoe acts as both archive and reflection—capturing recollections of a time when navigation depended not only on sight, but on attentive listening.
As the foghorn falls silent and fog itself becomes less frequent, the video traces the parallel loss of a distinctive coastal sound and the listening practices it shaped. In the fading of fog lies not only the disappearance of a signal, but the quiet erosion of a sensory world—one where uncertainty sharpened perception and wonder emerged from the limits of sight.

Exhibited at Goucher Gallery, Balitmore US. 2026. Made in collaboration with Laura Rosser and in partnership with Creative Looe, Cornwall.
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