The sound collector

A soft crackling and popping, a rhythmic tapping; gentle gurgling that turns into deafening noise. This is what Ludwig Berger hears when he stands on the Morteratsch Glacier in Switzerland with headphones and microphones. The sound artist has spent several years acoustically exploring the ice giant and has revealed a secret world: the weeping and crying of a glacier. His icy excursion began at the Institute of Landscape Architecture, part of ETH Zurich, where Ludwig Berger explored the sounds of places with students as part of a seminar. This resulted in a series spanning several years that documents how glaciers sound as symbols of climate change. Berger attached recording devices directly to the glacier tongue, submerged underwater microphones in crevasses and used snow as an adhesive. “You are connected to the entire glacier through sound”, he explains. The sounds of the released air bubbles, which may be centuries old, are fascinating: a short “pop”, then they disappear forever.

In winter, silence dominates: the resonance of the ice, the falling of snow. In summer, on the other hand, the melting creates a loud soundscape. “It’s a physical experience”, says Ludwig Berger. “The deep vibrations, the palpable thuds and the incredible melodies have given me a personal connection to the glacier and the feeling that it is alive.” Sometimes it sounds brutal and frightening, but sometimes it’s also funny, because the groaning of the ice giant reminds him of human body sounds.

Ludwig Berger grew up in a village in Alsace, surrounded by meadows and forests. From an early age he was fascinated by the heightened perception of his environment. He studied electroacoustic composition, but natural sounds attracted him more: “I found the crackling and popping of an icy puddle much more interesting than anything I could programme in the studio.” In addition to glaciers, he has also researched the acoustics of animals, deserts, trees and volcanoes. “I’m interested in everything that is alive, including human infrastructure and architectural resonances.”

For the Luxembourg pavilion at the 2025 Architecture Biennale, he investigated “ecotones”, the transition zone between new landscapes such as data centres or floating photovoltaic systems and their natural environment. The Morteratsch Glacier continues to accompany him: part of his album, “Crying Glacier”, will be stored on synthetic DNA using a new ETH process, converted into nanoparticles and buried in a time capsule in the glacier. In 100 years’ time, the sounds will be played back at the glacier, which will probably no longer exist – the sound as a fossil.

“I feel most alive when I listen attentively”, says Berger. His work opens up new acoustic worlds for people. “That moment of wonder and enchantment is what makes me happiest.”

Further information: www.ludwigberger.com