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The Venice Biennale stands as the world's premier architecture event, showcasing the work of some of the World’s most brilliant and innovative architects. Culture Ireland, in collaboration with the Arts Council of Ireland, commissioned a talented team comprising architects, woodworkers, visual artists, and sound designers to conceive and construct a pavilion representing Ireland at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia (Venice Biennale). This initiative aimed to elevate the profile of Ireland's robust and expanding architectural landscape and garner international public attention.
The project was curated by Cotter & Naessens Architects. David Stalling, a composer, sound artist, improviser and audio producer, whose practice transcends the traditional definition of composing, was tasked with the sound design and overall sonic deployment of this multisensory installation. Working with various media, including acoustic and electronic sound, field recordings, moving images, lighting, and scientific data, David aimed to deliver an immersive experience that reimagines how we come together.
At the heart of the pavilion is a reflection on Ireland’s Citizens’ Assembly, an internationally recognized model of inclusive democratic dialogue. Drawing on this precedent, the pavilion needed to explore the architecture of gathering: What kind of spaces foster real connection? How can we build environments that support collective decision-making, openness and care?
While aesthetics for this project naturally took priority, the immersive experience needed to be flawless to convey such deep and meaningful content and create a rich and sensorial environment. With the pavilion's exterior and interior on full display, the challenge was how to power a large number of loudspeakers, still provide pinpoint DSP processing, and occupy as little space as possible.
David’s usual immersive approach of active speaker solutions was not possible on this occasion, due to the limited space available for multiple audio and power cable runs. Speed of deployment was also a key consideration, as the pavilion will be on-tour around Ireland throughout 2026, following La Biennale di Venezia.
David and the team installed 33 SB Acoustics 6.5” speakers integrated into folded TQWT (Tapered Quarter Wave Tube, also known as "Voigt Pipe") enclosures. The Voigt Pipe is a simple but effective enclosure that appealed to the team due to its human-scale dimensions.
The TQWT enclosures are integrated into the timber structure, which is made up of twelve equal segments. Eleven of these speakers form the exterior ring, and 22 make up the interior ring. Each ring plays a different soundscape composed by David. The outer soundscape is loosely composed of field recordings taken around Ireland, with each speaker broadcasting a different recording. However, as one moves into the inner ring, the soundscape becomes more focused. At this point, all 22 interior speakers work together as a surround sound array, playing a composition that contains poetry, voice recordings, strings and electronics, as well as mechanical sounds taken during the manufacturing process documenting the actual making of the pavilion.
David and the team turned to the LP² range. An MA32/LP² and an MA16/LP² provided the peerless Innosonix DSP coupled to very high-quality multi-channel amplifiers. At only 1RU each, LP² units occupy a fraction of the space of a conventional solution. The sound mix itself was created utilizing the custom loudspeaker arrangements in the SPAT Revolution spatialization engine. During the mixing stage, David took advantage of Innosonix’s Dante and AES67 connectivity to feed the LP² devices via AES67. In addition, a Mac mini running the open-source intermedia sequencer Ossia Score with Dante VSC was connected to the Innosonix amplifiers, with Dante switching between both protocols.
In May 2025, the Pavilion of Ireland, curated by Cotter & Naessens Architects, officially opened at the 19th La Biennale di Venezia to great excitement. A stunning timber structure, made up of 12 segments sourced from Irish beech trees, beautifully showcases Ireland's architectural talents. The end result is not only aesthetically impressive, but the immersive audio elements create a fully encompassing experience. Innosonix helped the team overcome numerous challenges by enabling the pavilion to run from a single rack. The intuitive operation of Maxx Remote simplified switching between AES67 and Dante protocols. The extensive DSP within Maxx Remote made on-the-fly tailoring of the speaker response curves a pleasurable experience, utilizing its powerful EQ capabilities. With initiative DSP and a streamlined workflow, deploying the immersive system and setting up the pavilion became a speedier and less stressful process, ready for its Irish national tour in 2026.
Maxx Remote and Maxx Control streamline your workflow, reducing the need for excess gear and allowing for cost-effective installations.
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