Ludwig Berger
Sound DNA Morteratsch Glacier
Glacier Audio Recordings, Synthetic DNA Fossils, Rock

The long-term project safeguards the sounds of the melting Morteratsch Glacier for future generations in form of a synthetic sound fossil.

Arranged as a short composition, the sounds are encoded into synthetic DNA using a long-term storage method that outlasts all existing digital formats. The DNA is sealed in a capsule and embedded in the rock at the glacier’s base. In 100 years, the capsule will be retrieved, the DNA decoded, and the sounds played back into the valley—likely emptied by the glacier’s retreat.
By using DNA—nature’s own storage medium—the project embeds the memory of a vanishing phenomenon directly into its environment. Just as ancient DNA preserves traces of extinct life forms, this synthetic DNA preserves the glacier’s acoustic signature.

Originally commissioned by SUISA, developed in cooperation with Robert Grass (Titulary Professor at the Functional Materials Laboratory at ETH Zurich).

To be realized in October 2025. Currently in process of fundraising – scroll down to support.

The sound composition with recordings from Crying Glacier is encoded from binary code into synthetic DNA. Using a method co-developed by ETH Zurich researcher Robert Grass, the DNA strands—visible only as fine powder—are encapsulated in glass and embedded in a borehole in the rock near the glacier.
This storage technique, inspired by fossilization, ensures long-term stability of the data. In 2125, the DNA will be decoded, and the sound played back into the empty valley, where the glacier will likely have vanished. Once more, the landscape will be filled with the sounds of creaking ice, gurgling meltwater, and bursting air bubbles—acoustic traces of a vanishing body shaped by the climate crisis of the early 21st century.
Coordinates and decoding instructions are archived at the Swiss National Sound Archives.

CALL FOR SUPPORT

Help bring this project to completion!

→ DONATE NOW

Your donation supports:
– the final sound composition,
– the DNA encoding process,
– a public ceremony with live listening at Morteratsch Glacier in October 2025,
– the creation of a long-term archive connecting science and acoustic ecology.

Photo by Lutz Stautner & Philipp Becker

Project team:
Ludwig Berger – artist
Anastasia Orlova (Association Planète Bleu) – fundraising & partnerships
Nicholas Schärer – production
Prof. Robert Grass – scientist (ETH Zurich)

Supported so far by:
ETH Zurich
Atlas Data Storage, Inc.
Temperatio Stiftung
Elisabeth Weber Stiftung
SMKK-Stiftung
SUISA
Further support is welcome.