The Wind Phone

A site-specific sound installation for HearSay Audio Arts Festival

Dear visitor,

Welcome to Kilfinane’s Wind Phone, a communication channel between the living and the dead.

This installation is inspired by a Japanese phenomenon. In the town of Ōtsuchi, an elderly gardener created a phone booth with a disconnected telephone after the death of a beloved relative. Each night, he would speak into the receiver, sending his words into the wind.

Following the earthquake and tsunami of 2011, news of the Wind Phone spread, and people began making pilgrimages there to speak to their deceased loved ones.

This Wind Phone is a little different. It invites you to reach out to someone you have loved and lost. It also features an 11-minute audio piece about a father who lost his son. It was originally installed behind the old church in Kilfinane, overlooking green trees and fields. Imagine yourself sitting there.

Mix by Lærke Sødring Nielsen