Artist David Bowen rigged up a robotic sculpture that translates the sky’s cloud cover into a musical piece. Made for an upcoming solo exhibition at L’assaut de la Menuiserie in Saint-Etienne, France, Bowen had software written to interpret cloud video mapped onto a keyboard and then read in a series of whites for clouds (sound) and blues for blue sky (no sound). Tempo and rhythm is determined by how quickly the clouds are moving. The mood of the music, too, is based on how the clouds pass through the sky. If the clouds are moving one way, say north to south, the piano plays a cheery tune; but if the wind switches directions, the sound becomes dark and moody. “I never really thought of it as music,” he says. “I’ve always thought of it as a sound installation more than anything.” That randomness is part of the charm, really. Watch the video here.
James Obando 