Fondation Cartier on tour: The Great Animal Orchestra at the Biennale of Sydney

Fondation Cartier and Biennale of Sydney present the Australian première of The Great Animal Orchestra by Bernie Krause and United Visual Artists. Commissioned by Fondation Cartier and first presented in Paris in 2016, The Great Animal Orchestra will be presented at the harbourside location of Stargazer Lawn, Barangaroo for the duration of the Biennale of Sydney, from 12 March to 13 June 2022.

An Otherworldly Encounter with Soundscapes Collected over 50 Years

This immersive experience takes visitors out of city life and into various natural locations, from tropical grasslands to savannas to Arctic tundra, for an ‘otherworldly encounter’.  Aurally enhancing the experience are the soundscapes of some 15,000 animals, recorded over 50 years.

This is the work of the American soundscape ecologist, Bernie Krause, with the London-based collective, United Visual Artists. Having previously worked with musicians including The Doors and on films such as Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now, he turned his focus on field recording. The Great Animals Orchestra is a rare insight into the unseen world of animals. Krause implores the audience to start listening before the hush descends on the “great animal orchestra”, the beauty and intricacies of animal voices which are in danger of being hushed by human activity. Bringing this to life are the visualisations of each animal in their habitats, created by United Visual Artists.

The Great Animal Orchestra will show at Stargazers Lawn at Barangaroo from 12 March to 13 June, 2022, as part of the 23^rd Biennale of Sydney. Tickets are free and bookings are essential.

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