Resonant nest is a project conceptually conceived by Robin Sparkes. A submission for the 2025 Antepavillion competition was developed in collaboration with Bo Shen Tan.
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Text by Robin Sparkes:
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“Reinterpreting the historic sound mirrors of Dungeness, UK, Resonant Nest: An Amphitheatre
for Birds fosters stronger relationships between urban and avian ecosystems along the
waterways of Hoxton. The design adapts boat-building methodologies to bend wood into a
parabolic curve, focusing sound to extend the reach of high-frequency avian calls over greater
distances from within the cone. Positioned atop the remaining Lower Nest of the
ANTECHAMBER, this structure shifts perception from the visual to the sonic environment of
birds.
The parabolic mirror is formed using boatbuilding bending techniques, with red louro cladding
repurposed from previous use. The truss system that supports the mirror also functions as an
eight-unit bird box structure, offering sanctuary to Hoxton’s songbirds. The structural truss
elements are constructed from reclaimed timber salvaged from the Upper Nest of the
ANTECHAMBER. This interplay between reclaimed materials and methodology reinforces the
project’s commitment to adaptive reuse.
The mirror creates an acoustic space where high-frequency avian phonetics can be heard over
the industrial soundscape. Birdsong, occupying higher frequency ranges, consists of short,
rapid wavelengths, contrasting with the low-frequency industrial noise of traffic, construction,
and canal activity. These low, wide wave- lengths travel greater distances, monopolizing the
soundscape and disrupting birds’ communication exchange. Avian vocalizations function as a
complex system of acoustic signalling, facilitating both intraspecies and interspecies
communication through learned phonation patterns, frequency modulation, and temporal
structuring. These vocalizations play a critical role in territory establishment, mate attraction,
and social cohesion, with songbirds (Passeri) exhibiting regionally distinct dialects shaped by
environmental feedback and neuroplasticity.“
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