A Soundwalk Through Slovenian Primeval Forests

exhibition opening
Friday, 16 May, at 17:00
Lecture Room B5, Department of Biology
Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana

Razstava razkriva skrito zvočno bogastvo neokrnjene narave.

The project A Soundwalk through Slovenian Primeval Forests, developed by our former scholarship recipient, biology graduate Blaž Režonja, in collaboration with the Slovenia Forest Service, presents a unique sonic exploration of Slovenia’s primeval forests. The opening of the exhibition, offering insight into the natural soundscapes of the country’s most preserved forests, will take place on 16 May at 17:00 in Lecture Room B5 of the Department of Biology.

When visiting a forest, we are usually captivated by its colours, views, and scents, but we rarely consider the importance of the surrounding soundscape. The natural sounds of the forest – and the relative silence compared to urban environments – represent a vital value, both for the ecological functioning of the forest and for human well-being. Silence, therefore, constitutes one of the forest’s key ecological and social functions, which, along with its productive role, defines its purpose in Slovenia.

The Soundwalk through Slovenian Primeval Forests project represents an innovative interdisciplinary approach that combines ecology, ecoacoustics, computational audio technology, and sound art. Blaž Režonja recorded the sounds of primeval forests using highly sensitive microphones at 14 sites across six regional units in Slovenia – from Styria to Lower Carniola, from Inner Carniola to Tolmin. The recordings allow listeners to explore the subtle sonic world as perceived by forest animals, while also revealing how sensitive forest ecosystems are to human disturbances.

The project raises important questions in the field of acoustic ecology: how can we balance the social, productive, and ecological roles of the forest, when the first two often threaten the third? In practice, the Slovenia Forest Service faces these challenges daily and strives to maintain the forest’s multifunctionality through methods of close-to-nature management.