"The Ear is the Eye of the Soul": Holy See Pavilion, Venice Biennale 2026 (6DoF spatial audio tech support with NOUS Sonic)

Year: 2026

Type / context: Technical collaboration with NOUS for the Holy See Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale (The Ear is the Eye of the Soul), a sound‑based exhibition inspired by Saint Hildegard of Bingen and curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Ben Vickers in collaboration with Soundwalk Collective.

Partners, institutions and production:

• Pavilion: Holy See Pavilion, 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia.

• Curators: Hans Ulrich Obrist, Ben Vickers.

• Concept: The Ear is the Eye of the Soul – a “sonic prayer” that explores listening as a spiritual and cultural practice, drawing on Saint Hildegard of Bingen.

• Artistic direction and sound device: Soundwalk Collective (site‑specific sonic instrument and soundwalk concept in the Mystical Garden).

• Technology partner: NOUS – NOUS Sonic outdoor experience with UWB‑based navigation and immersive, site‑specific soundscapes in the Mystical Garden of the Discalced Carmelites.

Participating artists:
Bhanu Kapil, Brian Eno, Carminho, Caterina Barbieri, Devonté Hynes, FKA Twigs, Holly Herndon & Mat Dryhurst, Jim Jarmusch, Kali Malone, Kazu Makino, Laraaji, Meredith Monk, Moor Mother, Otobong Nkanga, Patti Smith, Precious Okoyomon, Raúl Zurita, Soundwalk Collective, Suzanne Ciani, Terry Riley, the Benedictine nuns of the Abbey of St. Hildegard, with additional contributions by Alexander Kluge and architect Tatiana Bilbao.

Role:
I participate in this project as a technical collaborator with NOUS, providing on‑site support for the NOUS Sonic system throughout the Biennale. My contribution focuses on the spatial tracking infrastructure underpinning the outdoor headphone experience in the Mystical Garden:

• Serving as local technical contact between NOUS and the pavilion’s curatorial and production teams in Venice.

• Supporting the installation and configuration of the UWB (Ultra‑Wideband) network used for 6DoF navigation in the garden, including deployment and calibration of approximately sixty antennas.

• Providing ongoing monitoring and technical support for the NOUS Sonic system during the exhibition.

Disclaimer: I am not an author of the pavilion’s artistic content; the sound works and overall artistic direction are led by Soundwalk Collective and the invited artists listed above.

About NOUS Sonic (relevance to AAR / 6DoF):
NOUS Sonic is a headphone‑based interactive audio system that uses high‑precision UWB localisation and 3D/binaural rendering to adapt sound in real time to each visitor’s position and head orientation, turning movement through space into a form of spatial audio control. This project directly intersects with my current research on augmented audio reality and 6DoF sound design, particularly in relation to location‑based, movement‑responsive listening experiences.

Short description:
Set within the Mystical Garden of the Discalced Carmelites in Venice, the Holy See Pavilion offers a headphone‑based experience where visitors move through a living sound instrument: newly commissioned works and a continuous composition by Soundwalk Collective respond to the garden’s environment in real time, encouraging slow, attentive listening. The NOUS Sonic infrastructure allows sound, space and embodied navigation to be tightly integrated, making the garden a site of both contemplation and spatial audio experimentation.