Connecting to Nature through Data Sonification - Conceptual Sound Design Experience
Project Type
Explorative project with a focus on sound in combination with form and product interaction
Team
Sander, Sharvin, Samuel and me
Timeline
3 weeks in 2025
Keywords
Experience Design, Speculative Design, Video Prototyping, Sound Design, Critical Design, Model Making, Vital, Ableton
Consisting of a set of near-future artifacts, this project explores how the sonification of environmental data can create new ways of relating to nature. By touching soil, water, plants, and fungi with sensor-equipped fingers, environmental data is sensed and translated into sound through a recording device. The resulting sound can be recorded onto a disc, preserving a tangible memory of the interaction with nature.
Due to the ambiguity of the sonified data, it is not explicitly indicated whether the data is “good” or “bad.” Instead, you must actively listen, compare sounds, and draw your own conclusions—fostering a deeper, more intuitive understanding of your environment.
Developed as part of a Sound Design course at Umeå Institute of Design, this project was a collaboration between students from the Advanced Product Design and Interaction Design Master’s programmes.
Wander into nature with your device
Listen to the data of your surroundings
Preserve the moments that resonate with you on the memory disc.
Revisit your past journeys through their captured soundscapes
• • •
The Collector.
The Collector is a handheld recording device that converts extracted data into live sound. Holding the record button stores the sensed sound onto the disc in real time. A minimal light interface indicates the type of data being recorded and the remaining storage capacity.
1. Light Interface, 2. Record Button, 3. Speaker, 4. Memory Disc
The Sensors.
Sensors worn on your fingers captures data such as pH, bioelectrical signals, and moisture levels from the elements of nature you grace with your hand. This data is transmitted to the Collector in real time.
1. Various Sensors for Environmental Data
The Composer.
Later at home, you can relive your journey through the Composer, a playback device that weaves the collected sounds into an ambient soundscape.
1. Play/Pause Button, 2. Volume Control
Memory.
Drawing from the tangible experience of the Polaroid camera, physical disc are used to store the extracted data. Its limited storage capacity encourages you to choose your sounds carefully, resulting in a thoughtful collection that reflects your personal journey through nature.
↑ Mark the disc with the location where the sounds were recorded, the date, or any other meaningful detail.
• • •
The Interface.
Data-to-Sound Translation.
Due to the ambiguity of the sonified data, it is not explicitly indicated whether the data is “good” or “bad.” Instead, you must actively listen, compare sounds, and draw your own conclusions, fostering a deeper, more intuitive understanding of your environment. A thriving plant produces more sound than a wilting one due to stronger bioelectrical signals. The river’s pH level influences pitch, with higher acidity producing a higher pitch, while the current determines the tempo.
↑ A thriving plant produces more sound than a wilting one due to stronger bioelectrical signals.
• • •
Behind the Scenes.
↑ Early stage experience prototyping
↑ Designing the operational sounds in Vital
• • •
Closing Thoughts.
This short but intense three-week project was a valuable lesson in what can be achieved within a limited timeframe. A big part of that was the strong collaboration and teamwork within the group. During the process, I had the opportunity to familiarize myself with audio production tools like Vital and Ableton. I was surprised by how much I could create with minimal prior musical knowledge. Exploring this new form of creative expression was a lot of fun, and I am excited to continue experimenting with sound and music in the future. Maybe one day I will even learn an instrument.
We realized early on that introducing technology into the experience of nature is both challenging and provocative, as it can risk distancing us from what we aim to connect with. To address this, we chose to frame the project in a more speculative way, even though the technology involved is not far from what is currently possible. Our hope is that the concept encourages reflection on the relationship between humans, nature, and technology, and on the implications of design for the experience of nature.
Next Project:
Let's Play with Food!