Sound Sculpture / Bioacoustic Architectural Installation / Scientific Device / Artwork
Sound Greenfall - A musical courtship between plants and humans
Sound Greenfall is a transdisciplinary installation that merges architecture, bioacoustics, neuroscience, and ecology. Presented at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, curated by Carlo Ratti, the project plays a serenade to both plants and humans by emitting carefully calibrated sound frequencies that support plant growth and human neurophysiological well-being. Rooted in pioneering research in bioacoustics and neuroscience, the project integrates scientific research with sensorial design to create an immersive, multi-sensory space that advocates for connectedness and new modes of co-existence.
Scientific studies underpin the project, developed in collaboration with researchers from the University of Florence, the CNR, Cambridge, and Harvard. Initial investigations explored how specific low-frequency sound vibrations could stimulate both plant and human biological responses, revealing promising correlations in growth, adaptability, and neurophysiological well-being. Ongoing research continues to expand on this foundation, testing diverse species, frequencies, and applications, while informing new iterations of the installation.
Nestled within a flourishing garden, Sound Greenfall is composed of a series of embossed mirror-finish stainless steel sheets are designed to resonate at a specific frequency, creating cascades of beneficial sound waves that permeate the soil and the atmosphere. These surfaces, with their rhythmic embossed patterns, visually fragment the environment, the sky, the clouds, the greenery, the flowers, and even the people, transforming everything into sprinkles of colours, petals of skin, and mystical landscapes. Visitors walk among and sit within these reflective volumes, immersed in an acoustic and atmospheric bath of sound, scent, and a dynamic visual spectacle.
The installation envisions new forms of bioacoustic architecture and regenerative landscape: as both a sound sculpture and a scientific device, Sound Greenfall challenges anthropocentric narratives, using sound as a catalyst for deeper connection between human beings and nature. Aimed at fostering health and well-being on a tangible biological level, it is designed for all environments that promote wellness, care, and biodiversity – from clinics, rehabilitation centres and hospitals, to botanical gardens, schools, and public spaces.