What are the sounds we hear and feel when we listen to the world through rodent ears? The Floor is Dancing is a vibrant journey into the rodent ear and its subterranean funomenologies.
Rodent sounds: their subterranean communication
For many years, the soil and its subterranean soundscapes have remained much quiet to our ears. But in fact, the soil is is a sonorous place. Rustling, scratching, thumping, chewing, purring, grunting… It hums with the noises of a myriad of living creatures, uttering a symphony of organismal activity that scientists are only starting to get a grasp of. Acoustic and seismic signals play an important role in rodent communication. These subterranean mammals possess a rich vocal repertoire: they exhibit a remarkable diversity in the production of acoustic signals, encompassing a wide range of vocalisations serving various purposes. Certain species also employ the seismic channel (ground vibrations) as a means of communication, particularly for long-distance communication purposes. The way in which such communication strategies are tuned to the acoustics of their habitat emphasises the intricate interplay between their sensory modalities and the environment in which they thrive.
Sonic play & animal bioacoustics
Play, touch, feel, build, connect, embrace, move, walk, compose, create or scratch the ‘rodent percussion kit’. Inspired by their subterranean soundscapes, it consists in a set of various movable units, either function as thumpers or dancing chairs. While standing, sitting, laying, or simply just by touching it, one can create, sense and vibrate with the sounds emitted in the different burrows.