2023-12-23 04:44:00
Composer Turns Data from NASA Into Musical Masterpiece
By MUZIK Editorial Department
Sophie Kastner, a composer from Montreal, Canada, has used data collected by NASA from the Milky Way to create a mesmerizing musical piece titled “Where Parallel Lines Converge”. The composition aims to take listeners on a journey into the depths of the universe through the medium of music.
Kastner explained, “At the end of the piece, I focused specifically on the black hole at the center of the Milky Way. You can feel the star spiraling toward the center… I wanted to bring out all these like crisp, high-pitched textures that are like sustained like a spiral.”
The composition is not just an artist’s impression, but it is generated from data commonly used by NASA scientists to create visual images of deep space. The piece uses signals collected from the Hubble, Chandra, and Spitzer telescopes and is performed with seven instruments. The composition uses both high-pitched instruments such as glockenspiel and violin, as well as low-pitched instruments like bass clarinet and cello, to capture the movement and mystery of the universe.
The idea of converting raw data into sound originally came from Wanda Diaz, an astronomer who lost her sight early in her career. This led to the creation of “The Universe of Sound”, a project aimed at making space easier to understand while also creating beautiful starry sky soundscapes.
Kastner’s project has brought about an important realization that the distance between art and science is not far. “As humans, we are always trying to understand the world, and art is one of the ways of understanding. Then combining science and art, why not?” said Kastner.
The composition has received praise from astrophysicists and scientists at NASA. Anne Arcand, an astrophysicist at NASA, expressed her surprise at hearing the data transform into an exquisite piece of music, stating, “It made me look at the data in a different way; it made me process it in a different way, and I really appreciate it.”
This groundbreaking project has not only resulted in a captivating musical masterpiece but has also bridged the gap between art and scientific exploration of the universe.
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