University of Sheffield Player
A space background with a vinyl cover with astrological graphics and the text "Call of the Void" at the bottom of the cover
Video, 11 mins

Call of the Void

Call of the Void is a completely original musical arrangement created using data collected from the GOTO observatory

Part of Festival of the Mind 2024
15 Oct 2024 09:00

Using real astronomical data recorded by telescopes from around the world that scan the night sky for cosmic explosions and dying stars, actual celestial events are mapped into musical notation to create original musical compositions.

The observatory scans the night sky for cosmic events (gravitational waves) caused by cosmic explosions and colliding black holes. The project took data sets and using a process of ‘sonification’ (with open source software) mapped the data to musical notation. The sounds have been adapted into an album of dynamic, haunting soundscapes.

Track Listing:
GOTO24AIG
GOTO23BNZ
HORSEHEAD NEBULA
GOTO23BNT
GOTO24AKK M101
GOTO24QL
SOMBRERO GALAXY

Credits

Academic Lead

  • Dr Martin Dyer, Research Associate; Astrophysics Group at the University of Sheffield

Creative Partner

See also