Sonification as art: Developing praxis for the audification of compost
Loading...
Author(s)
Parker, J. no.e
Advisor(s)
Editor(s)
Collections
Supplementary to:
Permanent Link
Abstract
This paper introduces compost as a rich site for creative exploration and expression via the medium of sonification art in the context of Composing [De]Composition, a large-scale audiovisual installation/performance work to be presented
at University of California Riverside’s Culver Center
for the Arts from June-October 2015. Here, the author non-reductively describes the multiagential
and poly-temporal nature of compost through detailing the evolution of an artistic praxis involving: the observation, audification, and sonification of compost temperatures; the development new sensing methods for data-collection;
and sound-mapping strategies. The main observable driving
the project is incalescence—the heat generated by the composting
process. Audification of this biological process
brings a perceivably silent activity into the tangible reach of human hearing. The collection and real-time audification of
temperature data using a custom interface to route sensor data to MAX/MSP enables listeners to better understand the complex ecology of a heterogeneous mass that is simultaneously
decomposing, supporting a myriad of life forms while
also enabling the bioavailability of macronutrients to the
soil. In addition, the recontexualization of temporally-based
temperature data into sound creates fertile ground for exploration
in the compositional realm, as the collection of data
over time depicts inherent patterns occurring in the systems analyzed, while the basis of music also builds upon the use
of patterns (pitch based, rhythmic) through time. Sonification of these patterns enables the composer/sound artist to
create compositions in partnership with her subject/phenomenon of study.
Sponsor
Date
2015-07
Extent
Resource Type
Text
Resource Subtype
Proceedings
Rights Statement
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License..