For my dissertation project, I created a system using Max/MSP that generates real-time sonification of the weather in Glasgow. The patch receives live weather data and interprets it to create sound collages — a never-ending piece of music with no clear beginning or end. The data used in the video represents four different weeks from four different seasons across Scotland. Each week was chosen for its weather anomalies. I created this fixed-data version to fully demonstrate the potential of my main project and to explore how the system sounds across different seasons, days, and nights.
The mapping of my sonification project is as follows:
Temperature is mapped to the pitch of virtual instruments, allowing them to arpeggiate within either a major or minor scale, depending on the temperature. Wind speed directly affects the volume of the wind instrument, making it louder as the wind intensifies. Cloud cover influences the overall brightness of the sound by interpolating between ‘bright’ and ‘mellow’ timbres. Humidity controls the reverb, which activates when levels are between 75% and 100%. When it rains, a chorus effect is applied to reflect the wet conditions. Additionally, the system generates music during sunrises and sunsets — different compositions for each event. On the visual side, I’ve mapped strong wind to blur the screen. Cloudiness is connected to the grains. The screen colors change to reflect day and night cycles.
The purpose of my project is to create a compassionate mirror of reality — a sonic system that embraces the fear surrounding increasingly severe global warming-related weather anomalies. It transforms the ontological data of the weather into phenomenological sound. The sonification is meant to keep playing, no matter how extreme the weather becomes. The piece is designed for an art gallery setting and can be easily reprogrammed to reflect weather from any part of the world.
I am aware of both the potential and the imperfections of my patch. In the future, I plan to create a website for this project. I’m also exploring ways to make my sound works more collaborative. I recognize the limits of my environmental knowledge and hope to collaborate with someone who can help harness natural processes and translate them into sound — amplifying the message of the coming climate catastrophe.