Born: Surrey, 1944

William Furlong works with the medium of sound, particularly the spoken word. His interviews are often highly revealing of their subjects, picking up on hesitation or fluency, language barriers and Freudian slips, and all the marks of language as it is used in the world.

For Intelligence Furlong has made a sound installation, which, using the medium of conversation as an artistic material, brings together the voices of all the artists in the exhibition. Tholsel is located in the last room of the show. Here visitors can sit and reflect upon what they have seen and listen to the artists' responses and opinions about the exhibition's title, the work on display and the state of art in the United Kingdom.

'Tholsel' is an Irish word of Anglo-Saxon origin that refers to the place in a village where people gathered to exchange ideas and discuss issues (Furlong was raised in Southern Ireland). The aim of his piece is to emphasise the power of dialogue, not only between the artists, but also between the viewers of the exhibition.