SINGING SOIL is a multichannel sound and light installation exploring the living world beneath the ground. Underground soil recordings, spatial sound and reactive sculptures reveal microbial activity and the fragile balance of soil ecosystems.
Singing Soil was originally commissioned by Schemerlicht Festival // Year 2023
SINGING SOIL is a sound and light installation about the hidden ecosystem beneath our feet. Developed for Schemerlicht Festival in collaboration with Bodemzicht farm, the work explores the living acoustic activity inside the soil through multichannel sound, sculptural light objects and underground field recordings.
Using specialized microphones, we recorded biological activity directly inside the ground to capture sonic phenomena normally inaccessible to human hearing. Insects, microbial processes and shifting soil textures form the basis of an immersive soundscape that unfolds spatially throughout the installation.
At the center of the work is a system of Singing Bowl Light Sculptures that interact with the surrounding sound environment through stochastic sonic behavior. Their evolving relationships shape a continuously changing acoustic field that reflects the delicate balance between living soil systems and external intervention. As disturbance increases, the audible activity beneath the surface gradually diminishes.
We conceived and developed the installation as a complete audiovisual work, including concept development, underground recordings, composition, sound design and the sculptural sound system. The project combines sound installation, immersive sound and spatial composition to make hidden ecological processes physically perceptible.
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