In September 2024, artist Sara Bouchard led a workshop on the art of data sonification at the AmeriFlux Annual Meeting in Berkeley, CA. Participants explored the history of sonification, listened to diverse examples, and discussed how transforming environmental data into sound can unlock new ways of communicating complex information and connecting to the environment.
Sara also shared her own creative journey with data sonification, from hand-analyzing data to leveraging environmental sensors and live coding for real-time interactive experiences. Sara’s work, rooted in environmental data, demonstrates how sonification can foster emotional resonance and community connection, helping audiences not only understand but truly feel the story behind the science.
Discussions sparked lively conversations about the unique strengths of sound: our ears often detect subtle patterns that our eyes might miss. As such, sonification is a powerful tool for revealing changes and variability in dense datasets from eddy-covariance flux towers. Combining sonification with visualization or immersive installations can present rich, complex information in a way that’s both engaging and effective for education and communication.
“My interest in sonification arose from “seeing sound” in the environment around me - lifting melody from the landscape. I originally sourced and analyzed data by hand! My early sonifications were low-tech, rooted in folk music and conveyed intimacy.”
– Sara Bouchard
A key takeaway from the workshop was highlighting the importance of tailoring sonification approaches for different audiences. Sonification will take a very different form when used within a scientist’s lab versus when public-facing. Balancing data fidelity with musicality highlights that sonification is not just a tool for analysis, but a compelling medium for storytelling and engagement.
Thank you Sara for sharing how sound creates an intimate, memorable connection to data and the landscape.