Variable 4

Since the earliest civilizations, a complex relationship has existed between human society and the weather systems that define the world around us. We make sense of seasonal cycles through rituals and folklore, passing down ways of harnessing the natural elements whilst constructing defenses against those which threaten our existence.

Variable 4 transforms these weather patterns into a living musical composition with the same unpredictability as the elements themselves. Using meteorological sensors connected to a custom software environment developed by the artists, the wild weather conditions of the Kent coastland act as composer, navigating through a map of 24 specifically written movements. Every aspect of the piece, from broad harmonic progressions down to individual notes and timbres, is influenced by changes in the environment: wind speed, rainfall, solar radiation, humidity, tropospheric variance, temperature, and more.

Linking together the sensor data and scored motifs is an array of algorithmic processes drawn from the natural world, modelling phenomena such as tree growth, swarm theory and evolutionary development. The resultant composition is performed over a 24 hour duration through a field of 8 speakers integrated into the landscape.

The piece will take place from midday May 22nd to midday May 23rd 2010 on the headland of Dungeness, a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to its unique and diverse wildlife. Variable 4 is made possible thanks to generous funding from the PRS for Music Foundation, and support from a number of independent sponsors including Campbell Scientific, Max For Live, KEF and the Dungeness RNLI.

For more information visit: http://www.variable4.org.uk/