Pinuccio Sciola's Sounding Stones Installed in the Garden of the Italian Cultural Institute in Paris

A decade after Pinuccio Sciola's death, the Italian Cultural Institute has placed one of his monumental sounding stones in the garden of the Hôtel de Galliffet, joined by two further works described as among the Sardinian sculptor's most representative. Sciola's discovery came in the 1990s: by cutting fine parallel blades into basalt, he found he could make the stone vibrate. The resulting Pierres sonores sing when struck by hand or by a pebble, and their timbre shifts according to the density of the rock and the kind of incision made. Around the monumental stone, Feuilles mortes — previously sown in the Jardin du Luxembourg in 2004 — and Graines de la paix complete the tribute, mounted with the Fondazione Sciola. A sculpture that is heard as much as seen remains a rarity, and this one can also be touched. The display runs at the Institut culturel italien, Jardin de l'Hôtel de Galliffet, 50 rue de Varenne, 75007 Paris, from 30 September 2026 to 30 March 2027, open Monday to Friday, 10am–1pm and 3pm–6pm, with free entry.