Close-up of the interactive sound garden at the University of Melbourne’s “Song of the Cricket” installation. Visitors walk among embedded speakers and vegetation while the gentle song of crickets reimagines Venice’s lost natural soundscape.
I live in the Mediterranean and this past winter (which is as warm as a New York spring) I had a cricket living outside my window. Every night at dusk he would start up his legs –– at first with a squeaky creak –– and he would ratchet it up to a steady sing for us a marvelous song that would last a few hours. I’d go out and check on him sometimes, hoping to keep him safe but eventually he moved on, or died. My friends say crickets in their garden is their bedtime nightmare. I was dreaming of keeping crickets for my lullabies and the scientists and musicians from Melbourne have helped my dreams come true.
In Venice, sustainability isn’t just a theme—it’s a living, breathing force at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, opening Saturday, May 10.
Among the standout exhibits this year is “Song of the Cricket”, a groundbreaking fusion of ecological conservation and interactive sound art brought to life by researchers from the University of Melbourne.
Alex Felson carrying crickets around Venice
Set in the heart of the Venice lagoon, the installation highlights the precarious status of the Adriatic Marbled Bush-Cricket, a once-common singing insect whose habitat has been reduced to a mere 0.57 square kilometers. Fewer than 5,000 adults are estimated to remain. But this project aims to change that.
Taking the crickets through Venice
Led by Professor Alex Felson and the Urban Ecology and Design Lab at Melbourne, the team will collect, breed, and relocate these critically endangered crickets in an effort to reintroduce them into the Venice lagoon. At the same time, they will explore adaptive land-use strategies and smarter conservation approaches to help safeguard the species against future climate shifts.
“This is not just a temporary installation – it’s a step toward reconstructing vital cricket populations in the Venice lagoon,” said Professor Felson.
The exhibit features floating, mobile habitats that serve both as conservation tools and interactive sculpture. Each structure is designed to house the crickets while also offering an immersive audio experience for visitors. Blending science and sound art, the project creates a multisensory call to action for ecological stewardship.
Professor Julie Willis, Dean of the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, praised the initiative as a vivid example of university-led innovation.
The cricket habitat
“‘Song of the Cricket’ showcases world-leading research from across the University. Combining art and science, the exhibit helps people to reimagine this iconic place as a living, responsive, and biodiverse city,” she said.
Miriama Young
One of the installation’s most unique features is the interactive sound garden and cricket choir, designed by Associate Professor Miriama Young. Set against the backdrop of a 16th-century Venetian shipyard, the soundscape reawakens the natural chorus that once filled the city’s wetlands.
“Antonio Vivaldi’s Venice was once alive with the sounds of nature. This project re-imagines a healthy bioacoustic environment and develops synergies in ecological art practice through architectures of sound and sustainability,” said Young.
This exhibit joins other sustainability-focused pavilions at the Biennale, such as Australia’s “HOME,” which explores Indigenous environmental knowledge, and Seoul’s call for coexistence with nature in urban planning.
“HOME,” is showcasing Indigenous knowledge systems and their relationship with environmental stewardship. The exhibition invites visitors to engage with Australia’s natural environment through Indigenous perspectives, emphasizing the importance of sustainability and cultural heritage.
HOME pavillion
Together, these works underscore a larger truth: that architecture and design are no longer just about buildings, but about reviving the ecosystems and cultural soundscapes that make cities truly alive.
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Author: Karin Kloosterman
Karin Kloosterman is an award-winning journalist, innovation strategist, and founder of Green Prophet, one of the Middle East’s pioneering sustainability platforms. She has ranked in the Top 10 of Verizon innovation competitions, participated in NASA-linked challenges, and spoken worldwide on climate, food security, and future resilience. With an IoT technology patent, features in Canada’s National Post, and leadership inside teams building next-generation agricultural and planetary systems — including Mars-farming concepts — Karin operates at the intersection of storytelling, science, and systems change. She doesn’t report on the future – she helps design it. Reach out directly to [email protected]
