New light and sound installation at City Campus is bringing cardiovascular health to life

A new immersive light and sound installation invites audiences to step inside the rhythm of the human body and experience what cardiovascular health looks, feels and sounds like.

Arterial Sounds is a free creative health installation funded by University of Gloucestershire’s Arts, Health and Wellbeing Centre. It has been created by Gloucestershire-based charity, The Music Works, in partnership with internationally acclaimed artists Squidsoup and the University.

Located at the University’s City Campus, the installation transforms real sounds of blood moving through the arteries, recorded using medical Doppler ultrasound, into an evolving artwork made from light, sound and movement.

It is open until 31 July, Monday to Friday (9am to 5pm).

As visitors enter the space, they encounter the expansions and compressions of blood’s journey through the body, translated into rhythmic patterns of light and sound.

Pulsating, shifting and never quite still, the work explores the hidden motion of our internal world and asks audiences to consider how heart health is shaped by lifestyle, environment and everyday choices.

The sound embedded in the artwork has been co-created by The Music Works facilitators, University of Gloucestershire BSc Sport and Exercise Sciences and BSc Sports Therapy students and young people from Gloucestershire, many of whom are from communities affected by health inequalities or have lived experience of long-term health conditions.

Through this collaboration, Arterial Sounds uses creativity to bridge the gap between clinical knowledge and everyday life, helping people of all ages understand that choices around movement, diet and lifestyle can have a real, measurable impact on our arteries.

Alongside the installation, an accompanying exhibition explores how cardiovascular disease develops, what it means for communities across Gloucestershire, and the practical steps people can take to reduce their risk.

Dr Simon Fryer, University of Gloucestershire Project Lead, said: “Sadly, cardiovascular disease was responsible for 27% of all deaths worldwide in 2022, and causes more than 175,000 deaths in the UK every year, but awareness remains low.

“By taking a very different approach to promoting good cardiovascular health, transforming real arterial sounds into an immersive public artwork, we invite visitors to the installation to explore how cardiovascular disease develops and what all of us can do to reduce the risk.”

Sports Therapy student Abi Baker said: “I have really enjoyed working on this project; it has been great to watch the children being so engaged with the sessions, making some cool and crazy sounds to be used in the art installation.

“The children were fascinated by the ultrasound machine, and all wanted a go to see and hear their blood flowing through their arteries. It was a great experience for me using the ultrasound and using the knowledge I have learned over the last two years to help educate about arterial health, but also to answer questions.”

Lyndsay Davies, Director of National Programmes at The Music Works, said: “At The Music Works, we know creative engagement opens doors that traditional health messaging can’t.

“Arterial Sounds turns the lived experience of cardiovascular health into something people can see and hear. For us, this is what our work in the creative health space is all about: not art as decoration, but art that genuinely helps people, supports early intervention, and has a positive lasting impact on people’s lives.”

Hannah Brady, Squidsoup Director, said: “It’s been brilliant to continue working with The Music Works and University of Gloucestershire. The teams are fantastic, and it’s a project that really matters.

“It gives young people a way in, and gets people thinking about cardiovascular health. There’s something special about taking the rhythms of the body, normally hidden, and using light and sound to turn them into something you can see and hear.”

Main image: A child enjoying the sights and sounds of the Arterial Sounds art installation