Cathedral of Sound Made from Dozens of Acoustic Guitars

‘Cathedral of Sound’ Turns Manchester’s Musical Past Into a Living Sculpture

Manchester has always been shaped by music. Cathedral of Sound makes that history physical.

Created by Manchester creative studio Lazerian, the installation is built from hundreds of donated guitars collected through a citywide Guitar Amnesty. Some are pristine.

Others are worn, cracked, or deeply loved. Together, they form a towering sculptural pavilion that feels part cathedral, part instrument.

What makes Cathedral of Sound remarkable is that it does not just represent music. It produces it.

A sculptural flag at the top of the structure captures wind, triggering a mechanical system that gently plucks strings embedded throughout the installation. As the weather shifts, so does the sound. The sculpture hums, vibrates, and quietly performs.

Visitors are invited to step inside, surrounded by layers of wood, metal, and memory. Each guitar carries a personal story, from first lessons to forgotten gigs. Collected together, they become a shared portrait of a city defined by sound.

The project was a centerpiece of Manchester’s Music for the Senses art trail, appearing first in St Peter’s Square before moving to Mayfield Park.

Its presence felt both monumental and intimate, equal parts public artwork and communal archive.

Cathedral of Sound is a large-scale sculptural installation created by Liam Hopkins of Lazerian for Music for the Senses, a city-wide multi-sensory art trail that brings together sound, sculpture, and the people of Manchester.

Situated initially in St Peter’s Square and later relocated to Mayfield, Cathedral of Sound stands as a monumental tribute to the city’s deep-rooted musical culture.

Built from hundreds of donated guitars: acoustic and electric, pristine and broken, colourful and understated, the sculpture invites viewers to experience music not just as sound, but as structure, community, and living memory.

There is also a quiet sustainability story woven into the project. Playable guitars were repaired and returned to musicians. Others were repurposed into artworks displayed across the city.

Nothing was wasted. Everything was reused.

Cathedral of Sound succeeds because it treats music as something alive. Not nostalgia. Not spectacle. Just sound, memory, and movement working together in open air.

See more about this lovely project on the Lazerian website.

Images © Lazerian. Used with permission.