October 5, 2016 4.47 pm This story is over 89 months old

What’s that mysterious noise on Lincoln High Street?

Gushes of water, babbling ‘trolls’ and robotic mutterings; all guesses of baffled shoppers who have tried to decipher strange sounds on Lincoln High Street this week. Stumped by the noises in the Waterside Shopping Centre area of the street, many have questioned whether the subtle bursts were a stunt. In fact, the curious hubbub is a specially-commissioned…

Gushes of water, babbling ‘trolls’ and robotic mutterings; all guesses of baffled shoppers who have tried to decipher strange sounds on Lincoln High Street this week.

Stumped by the noises in the Waterside Shopping Centre area of the street, many have questioned whether the subtle bursts were a stunt.

In fact, the curious hubbub is a specially-commissioned art installation called Reading the Water.

It’s a part of the Sonophilia Festival and was made by Brighton-based artist Julian Weaver.

The piece is meant to represent a snippet of the city’s innermost places; the waterways, wells and pools.

Playing across multiple speakers at the ancient intersection of the Fosse Way and River Witham, Reading the Water is comprised of field recordings, texts and conversations, facts and fictions saturated with Lincoln’s past and present.

The festival, created by blind digital artist Amie Slavin, runs until October 7 and features a programme of live music, sound installations and ‘sonic experimentation’.

Its launch on October 1 saw an exciting parade travel through the city.

Find out more about the festival on the website here.