PROJECT HARPY AUDIO: Sonifications title
DEPOSITS translates geological data into sound to reveal the environmental histories embedded below us.
ABOUT THE PROCESS OF SONIFICATION
I use an open source data processing program that reads visual image data or datasets and translates the information into a MIDI file — a universal form of musical notation. I set the parameters for how that information maps to keys and musical scales of my choosing. I then import the file into a Digital Audio Workstation called Reaper, where I assign a single wav file recording to each track. This is akin to creating a virtual instrument out of any sound, natural or manmade, that will play back the musical notes derived from the data.
KYOTO SOUND MAPPING : GEOLOGY
ABOUT THIS PIECE
Kyoto 1991 and 1998
I processed this composition in the key of F-sharp and followed the Gong tonal scale. The Gong scale is one of the five traditional Chinese pentatonic modes and is associated with the Five Elements philosophy and represents Earth.
The data used comes from the following geological maps and only includes small cross sections of the data. The Hanaore Fault and the Katata Fault are included in the 1998 sounds, which are played by the waterbowl. 1991 information contains strata layers that synch up with ’98 and are played by the mandolin. The piece concludes with a Darbuka bass drum hit that signals the beginning of Lake Biwa (Biwa-ko) which is Japan’s largest and oldest freshwater lake. Lapping water is layered in for effect.
The selected instruments are drawn from percussion recordings made in a church in Grebbestad, Sweden, known as the “G-Town Church Sampling Project, which appears in many of my pieces as the clean simple sounds do not carry an artificial/synthesized feel.” Lapping water was recorded from Big Cliff Pond on Cape Cod.
OKAPI : FAUNA
ABOUT THIS PIECE
Okapi Camo
I processed this composition in the key of F-sharp and followed the Gong tonal scale. The Gong scale is one of the five traditional Chinese pentatonic modes and is associated with the Five Elements philosophy and represents Earth. There are 25 individual tracks to this piece.
I first created a visual map of an individual Okapi’s striping on its hindquarters, which it developed to help it camouflage itself into the dense vegetation of its habitat. In the wild, the Okapi is found in only one place in the world, the forests of northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The piece is played by the instruments I selected from the G-Town Sampling Project*, and consists of several mandolins, waterbowls, wooden sticks and an egg. The piece is divided by a bongo roll that begins the audio created from an image sampling from the forests of the DRC. This creates a side-by-side audio version of what the Okapi’s camouflage ‘sounds’ like from what it is camouflaging itself as. It illustrates that even though the Okapi may seem to stand out to us, there is a rhythm to its pattern that mimics its surroundings.
*percussion recordings made in a church in Grebbestad, Sweden, known as the “G-Town Church Sampling Project
CRAU AQUIFER : GEOLOGY
ABOUT THIS PIECE
Crau Aquifer
I processed this composition in the key of F-sharp and followed the Yu tonal scale. The Yu scale is one of the five traditional Chinese pentatonic modes and is associated with the Five Elements philosophy and represents Water.
The wet areas are played by the call of the Short-toed Snake Eagle that is known in the region. To develop the sonification, the eagle calls’ notes. The same process is applied to the dry basin areas with the percussion recordings.These zones become tracks that are then played back simultaneously to create music reflective of the geology of the Crau Plain.
The selected instruments are drawn from percussion recordings made in a church in Grebbestad, Sweden, known as the “G-Town Church Sampling Project, which appears in many of my pieces as the clean simple sounds do not carry an artificial/synthesized feel.” This piece incorporates wood sticks, a water bowl, and bass drum, in addition to the eagle, all following notes derived from the aquifer data itself. I never change the notes that are assigned by the data, instead find the right voice for it all to work harmoniously together.
For this piece, I used a 3D geological modeling data map for the identification of aquifer levels within the pre-Pliocene formations of the Crau Plain, as mapped by the French geoscience service BRGM in November 2024.
This sonification reflects wet areas combined with arid zones from the Crau Plain in France. This is the ancient confluence of the Durance and Rhône rivers, and constitutes their vast flat alluvial fan. The northern wet region includes the town of Arles and the southern dry plateau has been used to grazing sheep back to Roman times.
