Silent Dinners

Benjamin Dewhurst established Silent Dinners as an interdisciplinary arts project combining experimental film, ambient soundscapes, and participatory dining experiences. The project documents locations across East Anglia, including Lowestoft and the river Waveney, through long-form cinematic works and site-specific installations. These productions merge with original musical compositions to create immersive audiovisual pieces distributed through the Silent Dinners YouTube channel. The namesake Silent Dinners events follow a structured format where attendees share the main course without speaking, followed by conversation during dessert. This protocol transforms standard dining gatherings into guided exercises in sensory awareness and interpersonal connection. The practice draws from mindfulness traditions while establishing its own distinct methodology for group experiences. The initiative maintains a web presence through its dedicated site and YouTube platform, alongside in-person event facilitation. Silent Dinners integrates its film works, sound pieces, and communal meals into a unified creative framework exploring themes of place, time, and human gathering. The project documents both natural environments and curated installations through its ongoing series of slow cinema works.