Spark Artist-led Workshop: Listening to Data

Join us at The Peale for Spark Workshop: Listening to Data - Sonification as Creative Practice.

Workshop Description

Did you know the human ear can detect subtler differences in pitch than the eye can in shape or color? In this hands-on artist-led workshop, participants will explore how to transform complex environmental data into compelling sonic compositions using sonification—a method of translating data into sound.

Using real-world sources such as the U.S. Geological Survey’s Water Dashboard, you’ll learn how to pull environmental metrics (like streamflow, rainfall, or temperature data) and translate them into auditory experiences using Processing, a flexible open-source platform for creative coding. Whether you’re an artist, musician, coder, or climate communicator, this workshop offers a new way of sensing the world through sound—revealing patterns, changes, and anomalies our eyes may miss.

No prior coding experience is required—just curiosity, your laptop, and your ears.

What to Bring

• Laptop with Processing software pre-installed
• Spreadsheet software (e.g., Excel, Google Sheets, or Numbers)
• Headphones (bring your own if possible; a limited number will be available to borrow)
• Enthusiasm for working across art, data, and environment

Free with registration | Limited to 15 participants

Facilitator: Tara Youngborg