Giant megaphones amplify nature sounds in Estonian forest

VARSTU, Estonia, Sept. 23 (UPI) -- Students from the Estonian Academy of Arts installed a trio of giant wooden megaphones in a forest area to amplify the sounds of nature.

The students and Hannes Praks, head of the school's Interior Architecture department and the project leader, said the 10-foot-diameter megaphones installed Sept. 18 in a Voru County forest area are designed for visitors to sit inside and listen to the amplified sounds of nature.

"We'll be placing the three megaphones at such a distance and at a suitable angle, so at the center of the installation, sound feed from all three directions should create a unique merged surround sound effect," Praks said.

The students said the megaphones, which were originally pitched by architecture student Birgit Oigus, were designed to provide a resting area for fans of nature sounds and to also serve as small stages for musical performances.

Estonia is 51 percent covered in forests and the wooded areas play a large part in the country's culture.

Author Valdur Mikita, whose writings include several works about the role forests play in Estonian culture, welcomed the installation of the megaphones.

"It's a place to listen, to browse the audible book of nature -- there hasn't really been a place like that in Estonia before," Mikita said.