The Great Animal Orchestra
A collision of culture and nature. Presented by Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain.
By Biennale of Sydney
23rd Biennale of Sydney: rīvus
The Great Animal Orchestra (2022) by Bernie Krause and United Visual Artists presented by Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporainBiennale of Sydney
About the participants
The Great Animal Orchestra
Bernie Krause and United Visual Artists
Presented by Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain
Bernie Krause
Born 1938 in Detroit, USA
Lives in USA
United Visual Artists
Founded 2003 in London, England
'It was in this semi-floating state—that transition between the blissful suspension of awareness and the depths of the total unconsciousness—that I first encountered the transparent weave of creature voices not only as a choir, but as a cohesive sonic event.'
—Bernie Krause
A collision of culture and nature, The Great Animal Orchestra will take you out of city life and into tropical grasslands, savannas and Arctic tundra for an ‘otherworldly encounter’ with a soundscape of 15,000 animal species recorded over the last 50 years.
Bernie Krause Interview (2022) by Motel Picture CompanyBiennale of Sydney
Hear from the American pioneer soundscape ecologist Bernie Krause.
The Great Animal Orchestra at Art After DarkBiennale of Sydney
A collision of culture and nature
The Great Animal Orchestra takes you out of city life and into tropical grasslands, savannas and Arctic tundra for an ‘otherworldly encounter’ with a soundscape of 15,000 animal species recorded over the last 50 years.
The Great Animal Orchestra (2022) by Bernie Krause and United Visual Artists presented by Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporainBiennale of Sydney
After working with musicians like The Doors and creating effects for film scores, Bernie Krause turned his back on studio work and headed outdoors to focus on field recording. Krause’s unparalleled research is a rare insight into the unseen world of animals.
The Great Animal Orchestra (2022) by Bernie Krause and United Visual Artists presented by Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporainBiennale of Sydney
It reveals the beauty and the intricacy of animal vocalisations, which are now in danger of being silenced by human activity. Through his recording, Krause implores us to start listening before hush descends on the ‘great animal orchestra’.
The Great Animal Orchestra (2022) by Bernie Krause and United Visual Artists presented by Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporainBiennale of Sydney
The immersive soundscape comes to life with visualisations, created by United Visual Artists, of each animal’s contributions to the ‘orchestra’ in vulnerable habitats in Africa, North America, the Pacific Ocean and the Amazonas (Amazon River).
The Great Animal Orchestra (2022) by Bernie Krause and United Visual Artists presented by Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporainBiennale of Sydney
The Great Animal Orchestra is a compelling call to action to preserve our planet’s remaining wild places. Listen closely to these animal voices. How can you help to ensure that they are not silenced forever?
The Great Animal Orchestra (2022) by Bernie Krause and United Visual Artists presented by Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporainBiennale of Sydney
Biophony
Biophony refers to the collective sound that vocalising non-human animals create in each given environment.
'No longer a cacophony, it became a partitioned collection of vocal organisms—a highly orchestrated acoustic arrangement of insects, spotted hyenas, eagle-owls, African wood-owls, elephants, tree hyrax, distant lions, and several knots of tree frogs and toads.'
'Every distant voice seemed to fit within its own acoustic bandwidth—each one so carefully placed that it reminded me of Mozart’s elegantly structured Symphony no. 41 in C Major, K.551.'
—Bernie Krause
Tap to explore
Situate yourself on Stargazer Lawn at Barangaroo, where The Great Animal Orchestra was presented.
