Beyond the Audible
PAST EVENTS
24 Sep 2025
CukrarnaOur focus on airborne sounds in both natural and urban environments has contributed to the development of ecoacoustics. However, alongside audible soundscapes that we have become accustomed to recording and analysing, there exists another, less obvious layer: the world of substrate-borne vibrations – the so-called vibroscape.
These vibrations, which are not directly perceptible to human senses, are crucial for many animals, especially insects. While humans may attune themselves to soundscapes, many animals are equally attuned to vibroscapes. This ancient system of communication shaped early evolutionary interactions and may still be accessible to us, even if we cannot clearly determine to what extent.
In this performative lecture, the authors introduce ecotremology – a discipline that studies substrate-borne vibrations in order to reveal ecological processes and their potential contribution to conservation biology. The lecture also includes listening to recordings of various Slovenian vibroscapes produced as part of their research.
Matej Tomažin
Our focus on airborne sounds in both natural and urban environments has contributed to the development of ecoacoustics. However, alongside audible soundscapes that we have become accustomed to recording and analysing, there exists another, less obvious layer: the world of substrate-borne vibrations – the so-called vibroscape.
These vibrations, which are not directly perceptible to human senses, are crucial for many animals, especially insects. While humans may attune themselves to soundscapes, many animals are equally attuned to vibroscapes. This ancient system of communication shaped early evolutionary interactions and may still be accessible to us, even if we cannot clearly determine to what extent.
In this performative lecture, the authors introduce ecotremology – a discipline that studies substrate-borne vibrations in order to reveal ecological processes and their potential contribution to conservation biology. The lecture also includes listening to recordings of various Slovenian vibroscapes produced as part of their research.
A researcher at the National Institute of Biology in Ljubljana. His work focuses on vibrational communication in insects and on bringing the non-human vibrational world closer to human understanding.
A researcher at the National Institute of Biology in Ljubljana. He studies vibrational communication in insects and explores vibroscapes in natural environments.
Photo: Matej Tomažin
