This is the latest project from Soul City Arts where the public were invited to enter an immersive arts installation, guided by a host. They experienced a cave setting along with soundscapes replicating the feeling of being isolated away from modern city life. Taking place at ‘Port Hope’ – an arts centre in the heart of Sparkbrook Birmingham – audiences teleported from industrial city centre into an desert-like cave landscape. 

Visitors experienced the cave through two curated experiences. During the day there were opportunities to enter the installation as a group. By night a limited number of extended experiences took place for a group of visitors to stay, handing over their phones and watches, resulting in a loss in the sense of time.

The end of Sleepers was a powerful moment for us. We were proud to give the city an art installation created by Mohammed Ali and the Soul City Arts team that garnered such positive response. The ancient tale of the Seven Sleepers was brought to life and made relevant to our modern city-life.

We are grateful to all our participants for being a part of this experience. Over the ten days that it featured at our site we had an overwhelming response, with hundreds of people from all over the country attending. We believe that everyone left some energy in the cave and, by the end, there was a real feeling of power and positivity emanating from it. This was only possible as they all came into the space with a real open heart and mind. This was a landmark event for us, inspiring us to bring more fresh ideas and experiences to the city.

Artist Mohammed Ali has taken inspiration from the story of the Seven Sleepers which features in the remaining fragments of the famous ‘Birmingham Qur’an’. Discovered to be one of the oldest in the world, the manuscript is housed at the University of Birmingham at the Cadbury Research Library. ‘Sleepers’ has been supported by the University as part of ‘Qur’an In The City’, through their Culture Forward initiative.