Sounding Soil – Listening to the soil
Can you actually hear grass growing? What does the earthworm say to the centipede when they meet beneath the carrot field? What is the difference in sound from a vegetable field with organic soil and one with conventional ones? Biovision is one of those listening carefully as it is using the installation «Sounding Soil» to raise the public’s awareness of the importance of our soils.
In his art installation «Sounding Soil», Marcus Maeder, the sound artist, researcher and composer is bringing to life the noises made by plants, insects and other organisms living in the soil. Biovision is supporting the project as it is using the sounds coming from the soil as a way of raising awareness amongst a wider public to the importance of soils. Most people are aware of other environmental factors, such as air and water pollution or global warming but remain much less aware of the value and importance of soils for the environment, nature and the human population. For example, healthy soil is the basis for both food and biodiversity and so is absolutely crucial. Through the «Sounding Soil» project, we want to help ensure that greater care is taken of our soils because they are so important for sustainable food systems.
The installation will be on display for the first time from 20 October to 25 November 2018 in the Zentrum Paul Klee in Bern. It then goes on tour. The walk-in installation, housed in a shipping container with a 3D Surround Loudspeaker System, makes you feel as though are in the soil and walking between the roots and animals. Visitors can touch the various screens to hear a range of soil recordings and obtain the relevant background information.
