Sonification

The term sonification refers to a method of representing data in sound.
“Since the introduction of interfaces and program codes brought about by the digital era, sonification – the acoustic counterpart to “visualization” in the visual arts – has been rapidly integrated into music. As a form of artistic translation of scientific data, such as ocean currents or stock market trends, sonification can nowadays be used for musical purposes without being hindered by the technical difficulties of the translation processes. One of the most divisive questions that has emerged regards the point at which the outcomes of this scientific-artistic research become art. What is the next coherent step for the arts in providing listeners with new ways to physically engage with sets of data? How are the aesthetics of a sonification decided upon? How does one move from there to the creation of an original musical work? And, how does an artist approach the newly offered advances in the sciences?“ (Ravenna 2017, p. 8)

Here we list projects and compositions that use sonification to draw attention to the rapid and threatening changes in our climate, plus some interesting texts on the topic. We look forward to receiving your comments and additions.

NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester: Vivaldis „Vier Jahreszeiten“ neu komponiert.

icebergsongs – icebergs are crying. Scientists recorded their crying. And artists made them into songs.

Climate Music: We communicate a sense of urgency about the climate crisis by combining climate science with the emotional power of music to drive meaningful action.

Wenn die Erde komponiert: So klingt der Klimawandel.

KQED: Hear Climate Data Turned into Music

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONuA9HmkF3M

Marcus Maeder (mit Roman Zweifel): Treelab – Oder: Wie klingt ein Baum im Innern?

Jacob Kirkegaard: Isfald

Institute on the Environment, University of Minnesota: The sound of climate change from the Amazon to the Arctic

Institute on the Environment, University of Minnesota: A Song of Our Warming Planet

Climate Symphony is a creative lab that turns hard data on climate change into a symphony to tell the story of what climate change means through sound:

DJ Spooky’s Arctic Rhythms: National Geographic Live

https://climatemusic.org/

Hermann, T. (2008). Daten hören. Sonifikation zur explorativen Datenanalyse. In H. Schulze (Hrsg.), Sound Studies. Traditionen – Methoden – Desiderate. Eine Einführung. Bielefeld: transcript Verlag.

Hermann, T. (2009). Sonifikation hochdimensionaler Daten. Funktionaler Klang zum Erkenntnisgewinn. In G. Spehr (Hrsg.), Funktionale Klänge. Hörbare Daten, klingende Geräte und gestaltete Hörerfahrungen. Bielefeld: transcript Verlag.

Rumori, M. (2012). Umdeuten. Das Phänomen der Sonifikation zwischen Musikgeschichte, Medientechnik und Markt. In A. Schoon und A. Volmar (Hrsg.), Das geschulte Ohr. Sound Studies Volume 4. Bielefeld: transcript Verlag.