Organ Donor – Sound installation at Carlisle Memorial Church

Vault member Cameron Clarke’s ‘Organ Donor’ is a large-scale immersive sound installation that brings back the sacred sound of a church organ to Carlisle Memorial which has been organ-less since it was closed in 1980. Providing the sound this time round is a humble 80 year old Salvation Army pedal organ rescued from a demolished church hall.

The pedal organ alongside ambient electronics will form the basis of a haunting and dreamlike soundscape resonating through a multi-speaker system in the space, bringing together two abandoned entities who found new life in unexpected ways.
Carlisle Memorial Church was built between 1872-1875. It was gifted to the people of Belfast by its owner James Carlisle in memorial to his deceased children. It was abandoned in 1980 after a difficult period during the troubles, its organ was removed at this time and shipped off to other churches in Belfast and the USA. The church was in desperate need of saving and was eventually taken into ownership by the Belfast Buildings Trust in 2010.

The pedal organ used in this installation was left by the side of a demolished church hall before it was rescued around eight years ago by a friend who kept it in his back yard. Being a hardy little organ it survived and eventually found a loving home with Cameron. It was originally designed by the Salvation Army to play hymns, keeping soldiers spirits high on battlefields or onboard Navy vessels. Very few of these folding organs survive today making it all the more special that this rare and amazing instrument was rescued just before it was destined to become landfill.

Carlisle Memorial Church. 26-28 June 2026. Free entry.