The Silent Echoes of a Great Sound Sculpture
The Campanone of St. Peter’s
February 16–December 31, 2025
Curated by Umberto Vattani and Valentino Catricalà.
Until December 2025, it will be possible to listen to the sound installation The Mute Echoes of a Great Sound Sculpture—The Campanone of St. Peter’s, by American artist Bill Fontana, set up inside St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
The work, created with the support of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, is part of the masterpieces that have always made the First Basilica of Christianity a place of extraordinary spiritual and cultural value.
Curated by Umberto Vattani and Valentino Catricalà, the installation uses advanced technologies to amplify the imperceptible vibrations of St. Peter’s Campanone, transforming them into an immersive sound experience.
Thanks to next-generation sensors and a sophisticated system of 12 speakers, visitors are welcomed in the portico of the Basilica by the hidden sounds of the Campanone, a symbol of Christianity.
The work stands as a message of peace and brotherhood in the context of the Jubilee 2025. Bill Fontana, a pioneer of sound art, has transformed natural sounds into works of art and, in collaboration with IRCAM in Paris, has made the vibrations of the Campanone audible. For the first time, a contemporary art installation is hosted in the portico of St. Peter’s, turning the Campanone into a symbol of global dialogue, where silence becomes a universal language of hope and unity among peoples.
The project, promoted by the Venice International University—VIU and supported by Enel, Gruppo FS Italiane, and Meyer Sound, represents a world premiere.
The installation was also presented in Japan, on the occasion of Italy Expo 2025 Osaka, inside the Vatican Pavilion within the Italy Pavilion.
Here, visitors were able to immerse themselves in the “mute sound” of St. Peter’s Campanone: not the chimes heard only three times a year—Christmas, Easter, and the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul—but that deep and constant voice that vibrates even when the great bell is silent.
Promoted by Venice International University—VIU.
With the support of Enel, Gruppo FS Italiane e Meyer Sound
Press contact: RP/Press—Marcella Russo, press@rp-press.it / T +39 349 3999037
More info here.
