"If a tree falls in a forest and no one is there to hear it, does it fall at all?" Berkely's question has always pervaded the eerie corners of philosophy because both of its possible answers are equally as terrifying. The first, 'Yes', means that the universe will keep unfurling without the consent of the human race, and will continue to do so forever. The alternative means that it won't, but it also implies that when you leave a room it blinks out of existence, and so does everyone within it, which is about as lonely as it gets. With 'Sleep Has Her House', Scott Barley introduces a third solution that potentially trumps the other two in existential spookiness: that a world exists once we turn our backs on it, it just is never the same one. Barley's bump-in-the-night epic is one for the purists: light, vibration, time, and the stories we tell ourselves. I was fortunate to speak to Scott over zoom about his influences, mystical states, the power of sound, and selling experimental cinema on the black market.
Speaking of sound, Scott's microphone quality is excellent. Mine leaves a lot to be desired, please forgive any background noise you may encounter during my questions.