Shaye Thiel is an American-Canadian artist based in London with work held in private collections internationally. Based on her own recent experience with hearing loss, Thiel views sound as a participatory act via site-specific performative exchanges between participants and machine, mimicking that of her relationship with her hearing aids.  

As the artist began losing her hearing, the notion of a time capsule of memory by drawing attention to the everyday sounds has become increasingly urgent. “Roaming Silence, 2024” encourages viewers to listen to listening (quantum listening), gain a deeper understanding of (hearing) loss and to appreciate intimate and everyday sounds such as her father’s piano playing, conversations with family and friends. Her work allows the participants to navigate the virtual space without mediation or interference from the artist, encouraging the viewer to contemplate the senses through hearing and self-guided movement while highlighting the fragility of sounds. 24 isolated tracks play simultaneously and increase in volume as the viewer navigates through the space. 

Thiel’s research-based art practice follows the arc of nine distinct stages/steps: curiosity, exploration, research, conversation, experiment, play, reduce, share, repeat. This approach generates a symbiotic relationship between research and creation and allows for a harmonious tension between the artist and the information.