Sonic Intangibles
Northumbria and Newcastle Universities Sonification Hub for Innovation in Sound and Meaning.
Overview
Sonic Intangibles is one of the first research projects funded through the new joint UKRI Cross Research Council Responsive Mode. It will run until January 2027.
The project aims to unlock the potential of data sonification for interdisciplinary research in the sciences, education, and the creative arts.
Sonification converts data in computer-generated sounds to convey information. An example of this, is a Geiger counter which conveys radioactivity.
It allows us to turn data that we wish to explore or monitor into sound. This brings otherwise intangible phenonema, such as distant galaxies, computer network traffic, the earth’s magnetosphere, or the quantum states of materials into our audible experience.
Phenomena that are too remote, massive, or tiny for us to experience directly can be brought into a more human-scaled dimension through sound. It provides an indirect experience that enhances the understanding of the phenomena, as well as opening up productive opportunities for music and sonic artworks.
The project aims to develop an interdisciplinary framework for sonification that overcomes existing barriers and disciplinary scepticisms.
A scientistic bias in some practice also tends to sideline the crucial role played by aesthetics in the construction of meaning, and a lack consideration of how design decisions impact upon its effectiveness.
However, there are also narrow disciplinary attitudes to consider. These attitudes include attempts to restrict sonification to being an exclusively scientific method, excluding contributions from artists.
In addition, scientists can be sceptical of the inescapably subjective associations of musical listening associated with sound. Sonic Intangibles seeks to demonstrate that these subjective dimensions are actually essential to communicating using sonification.
The research includes a wide-range of potential participants in developing effective sonification strategies. These range from workshops with primary school children supported by Northumbria University's NUSTEM initiative, to citizen science projects, public artwork development, and academic partners in the arts and sciences.
By breaking down disciplinary barriers, engaging diverse demographics, and promoting public awareness, the team aims to establish sonification as an innovative interdiscipline with broad applications in research, education, the sonic arts, and public engagement.
The project director is Professor Paul Vickers at Northumbria University.
The Newcastle University lead is Dr Bennett Hogg, based in Music within the School of Arts and Cultures, with Dr Chris Harrison, Reader in Astronomy based in the School of Mathemetics, Statistics, and Physics.
Dr Jorge Boehringer, also based in Music, is the project's Research Fellow.