In 2007, I was commissioned by Heritage Malta (the national agency for museums, conservation practice and cultural heritage) to score music for the visitors' audio guide of the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Hypogeum is an underground burial complex which was in use between 4000 BC and 1500BC. Covering a remarkable 500 square metres, it is a unique monument, consisting of halls, chambers and passages hewn out of globigerina limestone. The complex is dug in three levels, with the site users digging deeper as space became limited.

All the sounds heard during the introductory sequence and throughout the audio guide were recorded during a three-week period working and experimenting inside the Hypogeum. I had the opportunity to spend quite a few solitary nights enthralled by the mysteries that shroud this magnificent site. The unique space, the particular environment, the known and the unknown, chambers that vibrate and resonate so splendidly- these were all factors that have inspired me to put together this contemporary score. I have played the barest of ‘instrumentation’ using materials such as stone, clay, wood and voice in keeping with the particular soundscape that I wanted to create for this Hypogeum. The music heard at every stop of the guided tour has been recorded in that specific area. I felt that this would enhance the experience of each particular space.

Part of the music of the audio guide is available on the CD SILENCE SOUNDS AND SPACES (2011) which also features music inspired by and recorded on site at the various archaeological sites spread across the Maltese Islands. This work also led to the creation of a solo percussion performance that toured the UK and mainland Europe.​