Sublimation : Sonification Protocol for the Temperature of Iced Water Brought to a Boil
Premiere on June 6, 2023 at the Paris Conservatory
Achille Alvarado – piccolo trumpet
Thibaut Kerbrat – clay horn
Thomas Lefèvre – clay horn
Pierre Pradier – electric guitar
Sonification : Sonification is the representation and emission of data in the form of non-verbal acoustic signals for the purpose of transmitting or perceiving information. It involves materializing, through sound, evolving data that has no inherent sonic manifestation.
Sound Design : Sound design is an activity that consists of marking an object with a “design”—a sonic sign/signature—embodying a “purpose”—meaning/project—(Vial, 2010).
I have chosen to work on the composition of a musical piece blending scientific research and sound creation.
In 2009, the Perception and Sound Design team at IRCAM, composer Andrea Cera, and the Renault industrial group joined forces to develop a sound design solution for a mass-produced industrial object, the electric vehicle “Zoé.” This artistic creation is inspired by industrial needs and exists within urban soundscapes.
Sublimation is a composition for three improvising instrumentalists. The score is a protocol for sonifying the temperature of ice water brought to a boil. The score allows for considerable interpretive freedom, as the formal and structural elements of the piece exist independently of the performers.
The only parameter that determines the beginning and end of the piece is the temperature of the water in the container. A computer program, based on temperature monitoring, generates musical parameters. This program was coded in the visual programming software MAX MSP.