In this episode of the Fermynwoods Contemporary Art Podcast, we hear a layered soundscape of voices responding to fire and forest sparked by Tipping Point, a powerful artwork by internationally renowned artist Luke Jerram, presented by Fermynwoods Contemporary Art in September 2025 in Hazel and Thoroughsale Woods — the largest ancient urban woodland in the UK — at the heart of Corby town centre, Northamptonshire.
Originally conceived as a response to the escalating global wildfire crisis, Tipping Point simulated the terrifying realities of forest fires using immersive light, smoke and sound. Set within the woodland itself, the installation transformed a familiar local landscape into an unsettling and moving encounter with environmental breakdown.
Central to the work is a bespoke soundtrack by multi-award-winning composer Dan Jones, incorporating the crackling of burning trees, whirring chainsaws and fleeing animals, alongside ambient, melancholic music and deeply affecting global testimonies from people who have experienced wildfires first-hand. Dan was kind enough to share a selection of these sounds, which have been specially edited into this episode.
Woven through the episode are interviews with Luke Jerram and Fermynwoods Trustee and Climate Psychologist Siobhan Currie, alongside audio reflections recorded with visitors as they experienced the installation. Together, these voices explore how art can engage emotional, psychological and collective responses to the climate crisis, creating space for reflection, connection and action.
Headphones are recommended for the best listening experience.
If you have been moved by Tipping Point and want to take some positive environmental action, please consult the resources here.
A short transcript of the episode is available here.
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The accompanying visual is a video response to the episode, by artist Sapphire Goss.
Tipping Point by Luke Jerram, in collaboration with composers Dan Jones and Simon Birch, was originally commissioned by University of Bristol Botanic Garden and the charity Make My Money Matter. Tipping Point in Corby was funded by Northants Community Foundation’s Northamptonshire Creative Climate Action Fund and 100Green, the UK’s only 100% Green Gas and Electricity Supplier. Supported by North Northants Council. Presented in collaboration with The Core at Corby Cube as part of the venue’s 15th birthday celebrations, which also included a family arts festival by Made With Many.
Luke Jerram’s multidisciplinary arts practice involves the creation of sculptures, installations and live artworks. Living in the UK, but working internationally, Jerram creates art projects which excite and inspire people around the world.
Dan Jones is a multi award-winning composer and sound designer working in film, television and theatre. He has won three Ivor Novello awards in the film and television categories, including a remarkable double nomination in 2018, as well as a BAFTA, and has carved a significant career as a composer and sound designer for large-scale public events.
Siobhan Currie is an educational and child psychologist, climate psychologist and trustee of Fermynwoods Contemporary Art, with extensive experience working at the intersection of mental health, community resilience and climate action.
Our curators for the Love + Light season of the Fermynwoods Podcast are Marie-Chantal Hamrock and Astrid Björklund. Marie and Astrid have previously collaborated as SUBTERRA for Aerial Community Radio in Aberdeen, which “navigates speculative narratives of the chthonic (of relating to or inhabiting the underworld) through text, poetry, soundscapes and music.”
Sapphire Goss is a multimedia artist who uses obsolete technologies to explore experimental materiality and hybrid collaborative forms to make work that grows, decays and lives beyond the screen. Sapphire responds to each podcast episode with a new video.