The Sound Of Coal was a sonic research piece investigating the 2025 closures of the coal industry, through recordings captured from Tata Steel, Port Talbot & Ratcliffe On Soar, Nottingham. The sight of the looming Tata Steel docks had formed an integral part of my childhood, most notably from my visits to the coast of Aberavon, where the visual and sonic environment of the coast and the tall structures of Tata become synonymous with each other. When the closures were announced, I began considered what the eventual absence of this historic industry would mean for the future of industrial production in South Wales. 

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I visited Tata twice, a pre-closure field recording session in February 2025 and a post-closure visit in October 2025 as part of a documentary shoot. Here, I was able to experience the vast shift in the sonic landscapes from my first visit, 5 months prior. Although there was still sound at Tata Steel, those large plants such as the coke-ovens, quench towers and of course, blast furnaces had ceased operation.