From the sound artist:

The art historian William Vaughan once described Friedrich as ‘a believer who struggled with doubt, a celebrator of beauty haunted by darkness’.

I believe that this painting represents the artist’s internal struggle with spirituality. While the evergreen trees, the crucifix and the solitary figure praying represent faith and salvation, the solemn landscape setting introduces a sense of tragedy and insecurity. The church, a symbol of eternal life, is shrouded in gloom and mist.

I chose to represent this conflict by combining lighter sounds, such as choirs and church bells, with cold, darker tones. In creating the piece I was deeply influenced by an observation made by writer Hermann Beenken: ‘It was Friedrich who first felt the wholly detached and distinctive features of a natural life. Instead of many tones, he sought the one; and so, in his landscape, he subordinated the composite chord into one single basic note’.

James Hodder