Shh! Listen to the Forest… Through a Megaphone
Listen to the wind, hear birdsong, feel the rustle of leaves, catch the cries of animals, make out the lapping of water all without needing trained ears or straining to listen too hard. That’s what three megaphones installed in an Estonian forest make possible.
A student idea, built at full scale
Birgit Õigus, one of the students behind the project, imagined installing three giant megaphones in the forest each over 3 meters in diameter, built from wood in a decagonal shape designed to amplify the sounds of the forest. At the center of these three natural sound amplifiers, the acoustics are said to be extraordinary. Hannes Praks, who leads the Interior Architecture Department at the Estonian Academy of Arts, explains that « the megaphones are placed at a calculated distance and angle; the blend of sound coming from three directions produces a unique acoustic effect at their center. »
A place for silence, not noise
In place for over a month now, the site welcomes hikers, campers, daydreamers, and anyone in search of a little poetry and stillness. There’s only one rule: stay quiet, and open your ears.
Photos by Tõnu Tunnel.