Philipsz has created sound installations worldwide, connecting people and places through sound in sites imbued with history and memory. Having visited Dazaifu twice since 2024, she was inspired by the shrine’s forest, which has nurtured faith and culture for over eleven centuries. She also drew inspiration from the shrine’s rituals and from the life and poetry of the enshrined deity, Sugawara Michizane, leading to the creation of new works.
Now permanently installed in the shrine’s forest, The Trees Listen uses the sound of eight conch shells. Echoing the imagery of the forest and the wind, it reflects Michizane’s state of mind during exile and evokes a quiet presence woven from sound and silence. Exhibited in the shrine museum, Shine on Me was inspired by early acoustic devices known as “sound mirrors.” Three parabolic mirrors, suspended as if floating, slowly rotate and resonate a compilation of tones based on the star festival at Dazaifu Tenmangu, creating a space where sound and light intertwine.
