March 12, 2007
Weathersongs at Thunderstorms 2007
Music Changed by Weather
Weathersongs, by Richard Garrett, will be installed at Thunderstorms2007 from April 24-29. It produces continuous unending ambient music that shifts and changes with the weather and the seasons, sounding slow and languid on warm, still days and wildly chaotic in times of storm. It is a music which both reflects prevailing conditions and blends with the sounds of its environment.
The installation comprises an automatic weather station connected, via a computer, to an electronic musical instrument. The program gathers data from the weather station regarding air pressure, temperature, rainfall, humidity, wind speed and direction and uses it to compose music in near real time. Thus, when the wind blows, phrases are generated whose pitch, intensity and statistical density reflect wind speed and direction; other notes change with the rise and fall of temperature or pressure; and random percussive events occur with changes in rainfall. While this is not a one-to-one sonification, the system does respond to dynamic changes in a representative fashion.
Thunderstorms2007, is a high level cultural event with the purpose of spreading scientific culture, with special regard to climate changes, extreme weather events and related risks. It is made up of a number shows, activities, exhibitions and educational events open to everyone. All the activities have been conceived not only for weather professionals but also for the public, and in particular for young people, students, people working in the field of land management, Civil Protection volunteers and mass media. All these events will take place during six days fully dedicated to meteorology, from April 24th to 29th 2007, and will draw a crowd of visitors and participants from all over Italy.
Posted by jo at March 12, 2007 10:23 AM
