Luxembourg Pavilion Amplifies Sound as Spatial Language at Venice Architecture Biennale

The 19th International Venice Architecture Biennale welcomes a sensory shift from vision to sound with Sonic Investigations, a pioneering exhibition from the Luxembourg Pavilion. On view from May 10 to November 23, 2025, this curatorial project offers a radical reconsideration of space through listening. Curated by Valentin Bansac, Mike Fritsch, and Alice Loumeau, in collaboration with sound artist Ludwig Berger and philosopher Peter Szendy, Sonic Investigations challenges the dominance of visual culture by engaging visitors in an immersive and transformative auditory experience.

Listening Beyond the Visual

In an era saturated with images, Sonic Investigations calls for a redirection of attention toward hearing—a sense often overshadowed in both architectural and everyday perception. The exhibition is inspired by John Cage’s silent piece 4’33”, which famously invites audiences to consider ambient sounds as music. Here, the act of listening becomes a political and spatial gesture, one that invites us to rethink how we relate to the built and natural world.

Rather than focusing on visual design, the Luxembourg Pavilion presents sound as an investigative tool—a method of revealing the often-unheard narratives of the environment. From geological murmurs and biological rhythms to the mechanical pulses of human infrastructure, the exhibition captures the entangled soundscape of the Anthropocene.

Field Recordings and the Voice of the More-Than-Human

At the core of the pavilion is an in-situ sound piece by Ludwig Berger, composed from field recordings across Luxembourg. These recordings—collected during site visits and collaborations with experts in ecology, history, social science, engineering, and data science—form a dense acoustic tapestry that foregrounds the region’s unique sonic identity. Berger’s piece, titled Ecotonalities: No Other Home Than the In-Between, turns the pavilion into a resonant space where visitors are encouraged to close their eyes and experience spatial dynamics through sound alone.

Before entering this main sound environment, visitors are greeted by the Long Throw Parabolic Loudspeaker installation by Anthea Caddy and Peter Szendy. This sonic beacon introduces the idea of listening as exploration, beckoning visitors deeper into a world of auditory engagement.

Expanding the Territory of Sound

Ecotones: Investigating Sounds and Territories, a companion book edited with Peter Szendy, extends the exhibition’s themes beyond Luxembourg. Featuring contributions from a wide array of scholars, artists, and theorists, the publication investigates sonic approaches to spatial and ecological understanding. Like the pavilion, the book proposes new tools for architects, planners, and artists interested in reimagining territory not as static land but as vibrant acoustic space.

Activating the Pavilion: Events in Sound

Throughout the Biennale, Sonic Investigations will host three key activations, offering deeper engagement with the themes of Deep Listening—a concept developed by composer Pauline Oliveros. These include:

• An off-site performance by Ludwig Berger featuring live readings from Ecotones.

• A residency and performance by Gaia Ginevra Giorgi, exploring poetry and voice within the immersive sound space.

• An audio-walk through the Venice lagoon guided by Nicola Di Croce, drawing attention to the subtle sonics of the city’s aquatic landscape.

These events establish a bridge between the Luxembourg Pavilion and the local Italian sound research scene, fostering exchange and dialogue between international practices.

Rethinking Territory through Sound

More than an exhibition, Sonic Investigations offers a redefinition of how we understand, inhabit, and design space. By foregrounding sound as a medium of spatial inquiry, the Luxembourg Pavilion contributes to a growing global conversation about non-visual knowledge systems, acoustic ecology, and the importance of more-than-human perspectives in design.

As the climate crisis intensifies and traditional approaches to planning prove insufficient, this radical yet joyful turn to sound offers an inclusive, embodied way to reconnect with environments and each other.