The Red Cave
Susan Matthews and Tessa Holly
The Red Cave is a compilation of visual and audio submissions on the theme of the longest place name in Europe; Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch - a town located in North Wales, its name translated from Welsh to English is St Mary’s Church in the Hollow of the White Hazel Near to the Rapid Whirlpool of Llantysilio of the Red Cave.
Susan Mathews and Tessa Holly created the project whilst exploring ideas around communication and how it varies across different communities.
It draws on Robin Dunbar’s theory of relationships, which suggests that stable connections can only be maintained with a finite number of people. His theory is often represented in a diagram of concentric circles, with the smallest circle representing a fewer number of people who are closest and the largest circle being a group of acquaintances, combining to create a person’s community. Susan & Tessa replicated this theory with their own communities, requesting slightly different submissions from each level of the relationship to test the responsiveness of each. As expected, those in the smaller levels responded more thoroughly than those on the outer levels.The Red Cave explores the idea of bringing communities together over a single phrase and looks at how differently it can be interpreted.
Biography
Susan Matthews and Tessa Holly
Susan Matthews is a Wales based experimental composer who has been creating sound art for more than 20 years. Her solo work includes CD releases, film soundtracks, art installations, exhibitions, workshops & live performances. She runs the boutique record label Siren Wire Recordings and is an active member of Divergent Contemporary Art Collective. Her work explores themes of trauma, healing and identity.
Tessa Holly is a lens-based artist with a background in social media and product photography for independent sustainable brands. Her art and personal work centres on themes of identity and belonging.
Susan & Tessa met while studying for MA in Contemporary Dialogues at UWTSD. They immediately found they work in similar ways and thus found it very easy to collaborate with each other, combining individual strengths to create new work. The Red Cave is the first project they have worked on together.