Composing [De]Composition: Data Sonification for Sound Art and Music Composition

The Data Listening Session at UC Riverside's Sweeney Gallery featured Parker's compostable, 8-point data audio display. At the DLS, audience members reclined on yoga mats alongside the in situ compost pile while experiencing each sensor's temperature dataset simultaneously sonified into a spatialized microtonal MIDI work played by eight virtual pianos. (© J no.e Parker)

This visualization illustrates the biota's incalescence while decomposing inside the gallery over 30 days. The graph's X axis depicts time, while the Y axis temperature in °F. Eight colored lines show simultaneous temperature readings in eight areas of the pile with a resolution of one reading/sensor/minute. (© J no.e Parker)

A musification generated by the Sweeney Gallery compost pile's temperature dataset. Here, data collected from eight sensors control microtonal MIDI pitches of eight virtual pianos. Originally collected at a rate of 1 datapoint/minute/sensor, data playback is increased to 1 datapoint/~25 milliseconds. Octave equivalence and panning increase sonic texture and perception. (Data Musification ©2015 J no.e Parker. Image ©2015 Christine Leapman)