“Sounds of Insects – The Orchestra of the Smallest” in Opatija
Exhibition “Sounds of Insects – The Orchestra of the Smallest”
May 2019
Opatija
Croatian Museum of Tourism – Juraj Šporer Art Pavilion
This exhibition invites visitors into the fascinating world of insect sounds, revealing how these tiny creatures produce, use, and perceive acoustic signals. Throughout the exhibition, visitors are accompanied by sounds of nature that evoke childhood memories and can today be heard mostly in pristine natural environments.
The exhibition presents the remarkable diversity of singing insects and explains the basic mechanisms through which insects create and detect sound. Visitors can explore models of insects that highlight the specialised structures used for sound production, including ants, weevils, mole crickets, and praying mantises.
The final section of the exhibition is dedicated to the familiar “musicians of summer,” species whose songs many associate with warm summer evenings. Among them are the field cricket, the oak longhorn beetle, and several other fascinating insects that demonstrate the extraordinary diversity of communication in the insect world.
Exhibition Credits
Concept Author: Dr. Iva Mihoci
Exhibition Authors: Dr. Iva Mihoci and Petar Crnčan
Scientific Collaborators: Dr. Vlatka Mičetić Stanković and Dr. Martina Šašić Kljajo
Exhibition Designer: Mario Galov
Graphic Designer: Andrea Franić for MihociStudios Ltd.
Sound Design and Audio Concept: Composer Boštjan Perovšek
Insect Models: Academic Sculptor Denis Krašković
Robotic Models: Denis Krašković and Branimir Tadić
Photographers: David Mihoci and Ena Mihoci
Illustrator: Franka Tretinjak
Visual Production: PrintGrupa Ltd.
Marketing and Public Relations: Nenad Jandrić and Martin Glavinić
Special thanks are extended to Prof. Dr. Matija Gogala, Dr. Tomi Trilar, Prof. Dr. Jérôme Sueur, and Prof. Dr. Fanny Rybak for providing original recordings of insect sounds, as well as to Prof. Dr. Boris Hrašovec and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Milivoj Franjević for lending preserved insect specimens for the exhibition.
Authors
Iva Mihoci, Petar Crnčan