Forest Cathedral

Forest Cathedral is an immersive multimedia installation inspired by the Naarm (Melbourne) landscape. Weaving together vivid arboreal environments, the work venerates these living edifices that connect us all. Sound and image merge into an evocative atmosphere: the forest becomes a cathedral, its trees rising as living pillars beneath a vaulted canopy of leaves. Fractured light spills through branches like stained glass, illuminating a space of reverence.

The work arose from many hours spent observing, taking field recordings, and photographing the flying foxes of the Yarra Bend. The music explores an eco-acoustic sound palette, incorporating electronics, field recordings and choral textures; a church organ breathes alongside the vocalisations of bats, filling the air with resonance and reverie. Forest Cathedral combines 3D point cloud technology with radiance field imaging, layering shifting visual fragments with a dynamic soundscape.  

The work has recently been premiered at the Sound in Museums Conference in Mafra, Portugal (Oct 2025). Through sound design, digital technologies and multisensory integration, the work reimagines a public space as a living forest-cathedral. As audiences are transported into this natural world, they are invited to reflect on their own connection with place to explore the hidden realms that surround them every day.