‘The Great Animal Orchestra’ Returns on View at the Exploratorium in San Francisco

Certain shows are ‘immersive’ across advertisements, but will have you heading towards the exit quicker than you would have liked. Alternatively, there are exhibitions that have the power to completely remove you from your sense of time and space, and in effect, readjust your outlook on the outside world. The Great Animal Orchestra by American musician and soundscape ecologist Bernie Krause falls under the latter category. The exhibition first debuted in 2016 and was commissioned by the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain as a study of the natural world. Returning on view, The Great Animal Orchestra has touched down at the Exploratorium in San Francisco.

Over the past five decades, Krause has collected 5,000 hours of recordings of natural environments, including at least 15,000 terrestrial and marine species from around the world. Set in a dimly lit room, the expansive space features wall-to-wall LED screens that emit the sounds of wildlife from Krause’s extensive collection. Similar to a electrocardiogram, that displays someone’s pulse, each of the seven pieces is set in a chromatic hue and reverberates the sounds of various natural habitats.

Made in collaboration with United Visual Artists, the exhibition is described as a “biophony” by Krause, or a wildlife concert, showcasing the rhythms of the natural world — one to which is fading out of memory, due to changes in climate. “Almost 70% of my archive comes from habitats that have disappeared,” Krause poignantly noted in a past interview.

For those looking to experience the exhibition, The Great Animal Orchestra will be on view at the Exploratorium until October 15.

In related news, Doug Aitken reflects on humankind’s relationship to nature in HOWL.

Exploratorium
Pier 15 Embarcadero at Green St,
San Francisco, CA 94111