Two new art installations are set to open at Dunham Massey. Opening during the spring season, they will explore wellness, our relationship with nature and how this connects to the estate and its communities, but in very different ways. ORIGIN will take visitors on an immersive experience using sonic soundscapes and visual artistry and A Field Hospital for Eco-Anxiety offers a refuge within nature for visitors to pause and reflect. Both will encourage visitors to slow down, take time out and reconnect with themselves and the natural world.
Saturday 3 May marks the official opening to the public, with ORIGIN located in a specially built wellness space within the house and A Field Hospital for Eco-Anxiety taking over the Orangery in the gardens of Dunham Massey.
Katie Clayton, Programming and Experiences Manager at Dunham Massey, says, “It’s incredibly exciting to have these two extraordinary immersive experiences taking place at Dunham Massey. Each powerfully explores the interaction of art and nature, with messages to discover and messages to unlock within yourself. They do so with very contemporary approaches, but which are rooted in the 400 years of history that have unfolded in the house and gardens. For visitors, as well as fascination, they will provide welcome moments of escape and connection that we hope will stay with them after their visit.”
ORIGIN
Described as a deep listening experience, ORIGIN intertwines art and wellbeing to explore themes around the cycle of life and human connection with nature.
ORIGIN is a bespoke creation produced by internationally-acclaimed artists Colin Nightingale and Stephen Dobbie, together A Right/Left Project, The duo has been supported by composer Toby Young, lighting designer Ben Donoghue and D&B Soundscape in conjunction with the team at Dunham Massey.
Visitors will enter this transformative world in small timed groups, where they are invited to lay down or sit. Here a calming and soothing environment awaits where everything slows down. Participants will find themselves bathed in gentle harmonies of sound and light and enveloped by a peaceful exploration of nature, life and the senses. Meditation, mindfulness, a reflection on your own thoughts…the choice is yours.
Amongst the elements contributing to the soundscape are the words of a group of young people who have taken part in workshops with Young Identity, a Manchester-based literature and performance arts charity. Their poetry has been woven into the audio design for ORIGIN at Dunham Massey to create an original soundtrack.
The interplay of historical stories, objects from the house, and plants from the garden are all part of the inspiration for the mesmerising interactions that visitors will encounter. The Giant Himalayan lilies that grow in the gardens are one such influence. Renowned as the world’s tallest lilies they take 5 to 7 years to bloom and will do so only once in their lives and, in the dying moments that follow, produce thousands of seeds ensuring life continues. 200 Giant Himalayan lilies have been planted in the courtyard reflection space, their moment of bloom awaited.
Colin Nightingale says, “In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to lose touch with the deeper rhythms that shape our lives. Our aim for ORIGIN was to design an environment where visitors can slow down, allowing the interplay of sound and light to guide them toward a more reflective and grounded state. By combining cutting-edge technology with human, organic themes, we hope to deliver an experience that resonates both intellectually and emotionally.”
Stephen Dobbie adds, “Throughout our careers, we’ve explored how sound influences the way we perceive and interact with the world. Here, we wanted to push that concept further—creating an experience where sound isn’t just heard but felt. Collaborating with the team at Dunham Massey and drawing from the natural world allowed us to build an audio landscape that evolves in real-time. Our hope is that visitors will feel as though they are stepping into a living, breathing environment, where every sound tells a deeper story about life’s cycles. It’s an immersive meditation on existence itself.”
Entry to ORIGIN is included within a general admission Park and Garden ticket to Dunham Massey, which is £10 for an adult and £5 for a child, and free for National Trust members. There are a limited number of tickets available each day. Tokens for entry are available on a first come first served basis at time slots every half an hour from 11am to 3.30pm. This system is intended to make entry as accessible as possible to all. ORIGIN will be open until Saturday 1 November 2025 and is suitable for ages 12 plus (under 18s need to be accompanied by an adult).
Further information about ORIGIN is available here.
A Field Hospital for Eco-Anxiety
The Orangery has always been a place for reflection, but as A Field Hospital for Eco-Anxiety it will expand this, by exploring the connection between nature and wellbeing. Its name draws on the history of Dunham Massey as a sanctuary for healing and respite, notably as a hospital under Lady Penelope Theobald, the 9th Countess of Stamford. Today, as nature itself faces growing threats, this installation offers a space of recovery for those experiencing eco-anxiety.
Visitors are invited to check into A Field Hospital for Eco-Anxiety for a dose of biophilia. The Orangery will be filled with lush tropical plants, while illustrated banners hang from the walls. Inspired by The Anatomy of Plants by Nehemiah Grew, held in Dunham Massey’s archive, these drawings reveal the complex internal structures of plants, encouraging a deeper connection with the natural world. An activity sheet offers visitors prompts to reflect, converse, and take positive steps for the environment.

But what makes this experience especially unique is its soundscape, which is made from the biosonified sounds of three plants.
Biosonification transforms plant energy into sound by converting natural biorhythms into electrical signals. Thanks to human technology, what you are hearing could be described as nature’s pulse. The resulting soundscape incorporates Solfeggio frequencies, believed to support grounding, healing, and emotional restoration. The result is a serene, immersive environment where nature’s pulse becomes audible, offering a moment of calm.
Together, these elements create a multi-sensory experience that nurtures reflection, fosters connection, and gently addresses the emotional impacts of our changing environment. A Field Hospital for Eco-Anxiety will be an uplifting, revitalising experience that represents the vision of a creative team comprising The Edible Bus Stop®, Not here to be liked and Internal Garden working in close partnership with the gardening team at Dunham Massey.