The Sound Biennale approaches sound not as an isolated medium, but as a field of experimentation that spans forms, spaces, and modes of perception. Since its inception in 2021, it has been developing a platform where contemporary artistic practices explore the conditions of listening, the ways in which the sensory manifests itself, and the political, social, and poetic dimensions of sound.
Conceived as an evolving platform, the Biennale brings together exhibitions, performances, concerts, screenings, and discussions across a network of venues. Based in Valais, it unfolds across a network of partner venues, with La Centrale in Sion—a former hydroelectric facility converted into a space for exhibitions, performances, and concerts—serving as the focal point, where interactions between works, audiences, and contexts intensify.
Starting with its third edition, the Biennale Son is expanding its scope beyond the borders of Valais and extending its reach to Paris, thereby affirming its international character and fostering dialogue between distinct artistic contexts.
Each edition is conceived as a curatorial constellation. The Biennale’s director partners with a guest curator to develop the entire program. This collaboration gives rise to proposals that blur the boundaries between the visual arts, music, film, and the performing arts, fostering hybrid forms and new ways of listening.
Set in a region characterized by both its Alpine landscapes and its industrial infrastructure, the Sound Biennial draws on these contexts as active elements of reflection and production. It also draws on the research and teaching environment fostered by the Sound Department of EDHEA—the Valais School of Design and University of Art—whose practices have, for over two decades, helped shape a unique ecosystem dedicated to sound experimentation.
At the intersection of local and international scenes, the Biennale Son is conceived as a space for encounter, tension, and projection—a place where sound becomes a critical tool for reflecting on the contemporary world.
An art historian and curator, Jean-Paul Felley initiated the Son Biennial project in 2021. Since 2018, he has been head of EDHEA - École de design et haute école d'art - one of Switzerland's seven art and design colleges.
Active since 1989, he organizes exhibitions of contemporary art, architecture and design, and has published extensively. In 1994, with Olivier Kaeser, he co-founded the Geneva-based association attitudes, which has presented exhibitions in Switzerland, Europe, Latin America and Lebanon. From 2008 to 2018, he co-directed the Centre culturel suisse de Paris, a branch of the Pro Helvetia Foundation. He also curates exhibitions at the barrage de Mauvoisin.
An art historian and director of Crédac—the Ivry Center for Contemporary Art—Claire Le Restif has for many years pursued a rigorous curatorial practice that is attentive to artists and deeply committed to engaging with the public.
She conceives of the exhibition as a space of transitions, transmissions, and resonances, where the sensory experience of the work takes precedence over any authoritative discourse. This approach resonates with that of the Sound Biennale, which, since its inception, has been dedicated to exploring sound forms and to a
a broader conception of listening, involving the body, space, memory, and the imagination.
Jean-Paul Felley - Director and curator
Claire Le Restif - Associate Curator 2027
Bernard Fibicher, Chairman
Nicolas Troillet, Vice-Chairman
Karine Papilloud, Secretary-Treasurer
Nancy Ypsilantis
Gaspard Couchepin
Jacques Cordonier
Jean-Paul Felley
Jérémy Formaz
Charles Pictet
The Biennale Son Association was founded in August 2021 with the aim of creating and organizing an international contemporary art event in which sound—in all its forms—is at the heart of the event.
The Biennale Son is a nonprofit organization. Your donations are tax-deductible.
