Silence

Whether it cuts out the noise, means we’re speechless, is a form of protest, allows us to daydream, relaxes the body, helps with a headache, makes us uncomfortable, keeps bad things secret, can mean we’re complicit, and sometimes be as deafening as noise, it’s impossible to deny that silence has many faces. Of course, silence can be both good and bad. At its worst, silence can mean not having a voice, not being heard or represented, or is the result of a cover- up, threats, censorship or repression. Silence indeed has a dark side, a deeply harmful and insidious one, which can keep awful secrets buried and cries for help on mute. But at its best, silence lets us think, read, listen, imagine and sleep and regenerate, and provides respite from the noisy world around us…