"The Coral Reef", currently on display at the Tate Britain, is a maze of disconcerting spaces created to represent a variety of beliefs and cultural systems. They all appear to be a 'front' or reception space hinting at the existence of some kind of hidden underlying activity. As is common in Nelson's installations, the rooms in The Coral Reef give the feeling of being recently vacated - evidence of a former human presence is everywhere: a hat hooked on the back of a door, a half empty coffee mug, lights and monitors left on. It leads the viewer to wonder why the spaces have been deserted, and crucially whether anyone, or anything, will unexpectedly return. The air of anticipation and uncertainty is fuelled by encounters with sound emitting or moving elements which contrast the stillness of the installation as a whole. These also become more effective when encountered suddenly or when the sound is acousmatic, ie. you can hear them but not see them at first.
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