With green spaces becoming sparse, we often find a higher concentration of people trying to get their dose of ‘Green’ at popular parks, especially over weekends. Listening to the subtle sounds of mother nature can be quite a task. But, what if you had an option of turning the volume up?
A group of interior architecture students from the Estonian Academy of Arts decided to amplify these natural sounds by creating three gigantic wooden megaphones. The sound-amplifying installation has been featured at the Pähni Nature Centre in Estonia.
Designed by one of the students named Birgit Õigus, the installation provides a surreal acoustical experience to the visitors. It serves as an area where visitors could rest within the grooves of one of the megaphones to listen to the chirping of the birds, rustling of the leaves, rainfall, thunder and even distant footsteps. 
According to interior architect Hannes Praks the three-metre diameter megaphones will act as a “bandstand” for the environment around it. “We’ll be placing the three megaphones at such a distance and at a suitable angle, so at the centre of the installation, sound feed from all three directions should create a unique merged surround sound effect,” said Praks.
“It’s a place to listen, to browse the audible book of nature – there hasn’t really been a place like that in Estonia before.” Writer Valdur Mikita describes
The structures will not only be available for solo meditation, but also serve as stages for personal events and protective structures for spending the night in the woods.
Photography by Tõnu Tunnel
