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Translating Climate Change Data into a Musical Score

Posted on September 13, 2017

Thea Rossen is a percussionist and composer from Australia. She was at Banff Centre in 2017 for the Concert in the 21st Century residency, which explores new ways to present live music. While here, she workshopped the performance, Music for Our Changing Climate, with her collaborator from the Ad Lib Collective, Jared Yapp. 

After her time at Banff Centre, Thea premiered her work in Melbourne, Australia.

One portion of the hour-long performance is called Sounds of the Reef, which sonifies data about the rising ocean temperatures surrounding the Great Barrier Reef, and the resultant damage done. Rossen and Yapp use unusual materials such as dripping ice cores, and bleached coral to create sounds authentic to the project's theme. Rossen hopes to start a conversation about science using music and art. 

Footage from the Melbourne concert captured by Agatha Yim, Polyphonic Pictures. 

 
http://www.thearossen.com