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.
Experiments conducted in the laboratory on Mentha pulegium demonstrated significant effects on growth and vitality under controlled conditions, while preliminary EEG observations suggested promising changes in human neurophysiological states associated with relaxation and attentional modulation. Building upon these initial findings, Sound Greenfall employs sound frequencies developed through this research and explores their potential application within an immersive architectural environment that advocates for connectedness and new modes of co-existence. Scientific studies underpin the project, developed through collaborations with researchers from the University of Florence, the CNR, Cambridge-Harvard. 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 designed to resonate at a specific frequency, creating cascades of 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 an experimental environment, Sound Greenfall challenges anthropocentric narratives, using sound as a catalyst for deeper connection between human beings and nature. Aimed at fostering experiences of well-being and connection with the natural environment, it is designed for environments that promote wellness, care, and biodiversity—from clinics, rehabilitation centres, and hospitals, to botanical gardens, schools, and public spaces.