How a hidden monastery garden became one of the highlights of the 2026 Venice Biennale
Behind the walls of a 17th-century monastery garden in Venice, visitors encountered one of the most talked-about experiences of the 2026 Venice Biennale.
Created for the Pavilion of the Holy See, The Ear is the Eye of the Soul transformed the Giardino Mistico into an immersive sonic landscape inspired by the writings and visions of Hildegard von Bingen. Curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Ben Vickers in collaboration with Soundwalk Collective, the project brought together original works by artists including Patti Smith, Brian Eno, FKA twigs, Meredith Monk and Jim Jarmusch.
Using NOUS Sonic's location-aware audio technology, visitors moved freely through the garden while sound, movement and space merged into a highly personal experience.
Outdoor Audio in a Historic Garden
The Venice Biennale project marked the first large-scale outdoor project of NOUS Sonic. Measuring approximately 140 metres in length and 41 metres in width, the Giardino Mistico presented a particularly challenging environment for location-based audio. Dense vegetation, historic walls, open pathways and constantly changing visitor movements all had to be taken into account.
To create a seamless experience, NOUS Sonic relied on a network of 69 outdoor UWB (Ultra-Wideband) anchors distributed throughout the site. These anchors continuously determined visitor positions and enabled precise triggering of audio content across the garden.
Operating outdoors introduced additional challenges. Direct sunlight, heat, changing weather conditions and vegetation can all influence positioning systems and hardware performance. Extensive planning, calibration and testing ensured stable operation throughout the exhibition period, while dedicated weather protection measures safeguarded the infrastructure against rain and environmental exposure.
The result was an experience that felt effortless to visitors while operating across one of the most complex environments NOUS Sonic has supported to date.
Listening Without Disconnecting
The choice of headphones was equally important.
For The Ear is the Eye of the Soul, we deliberately selected lightweight semi-open Audio-Technica headphones. Their wide frequency response of 15 Hz to 25,000 Hz provided a natural and immersive listening experience with a detailed soundstage while remaining comfortable throughout the visit.
The challenge was not only to create an immersive experience, but to do so without disconnecting visitors from one of Venice's most remarkable hidden gardens.
Unlike conventional closed headphones, the semi-open design does not completely isolate listeners from their surroundings. This was a conscious curatorial decision. The sounds of the garden itself - wind moving through the trees, birds, footsteps on gravel and the atmosphere of the historic monastery grounds - were intended to remain part of the artwork.
Rather than replacing reality, the technology complemented it. The result was a subtle interplay between curated sound compositions and the living environment around them, creating an experience that felt immersive while remaining deeply connected to place.
For NOUS, the project represents an important milestone. More than a technical achievement, it demonstrates how location-based audio can transform not only exhibitions, but entire cultural environments into immersive experiences.
The successful deployment of a large-scale outdoor positioning infrastructure in a historic monastery garden showed how immersive audio can move beyond traditional gallery spaces and into complex outdoor environments. At the same time, the combination of precise positioning technology and carefully selected semi-open headphones ensured that visitors remained connected to the atmosphere of the site itself.
In a world increasingly shaped by notifications, screens and constant distraction, The Ear is the Eye of the Soul offered something different: a moment of attention, reflection and wonder.
If you would like to experience NOUS Sonic yourself, we would be delighted to arrange a personal demonstration in one of our offices.
Find the project link here:
https://nousdigital.com/en/our-showroom/la-biennale-di-venezia/