 Apr 28 2025 - Aug 31 2025

 Branik

The 13th century Rihemberk Castle above the western village of Branik features a sound installation combining sounds of audible nocturnal life and the sounds of bats otherwise inaudible to the human ear.

The sound sculpture Inaudible - Audible, Among the Bats makes for an intimate spatial and sound experience because it does not use loudspeakers to project the sound but rather a system of headphones.

The author Boštjan Perovšek, a musician, composer and soundspace artist, says this was done to avoid sound pollution, an issue that he believes is not talked about enough.

Rihemberk Castle is home to several species of bats and these produce sounds that the human ear cannot hear. However, they have been processed and changed to the frequency range that humans can hear.

Along with those the two-year project also recorded all the other sounds around the site, including those produced by other animals and humans. The final soundscape is made up of the inner castle space and the distant forest environment.

The project combines sound ecology and bioacoustic music. It also involves scientists, bat expert Klemen Koselj and German bioacoustics and biodiversity expert Roland Mühlethaler.

After the premiere on 28 April the 33-minute sound sculpture will be repeated every hour during the opening hours of Rihemberk Castle. The installation is part of the official programme of the European capital of Culture.