HUMANS (2023)
The HUMANS project collected audio recordings of messages about space exploration in over 60 languages from people around the world. In each recording, participants shared perspectives on what captivates them about space. These submissions were etched onto a nanowafer that launched to the International Space Station (ISS) earlier in 2023.
One goal of the project was to create a “mesh” – an audio composition combining the global voices into a cohesive narrative. My role was to develop this mesh using the crowd-sourced recordings.
To start, I listened to each submission and analyzed their auditory characteristics, content, and languages represented. I began experimenting with arrangements and mixing techniques to fluidly blend together the diverse recordings.
The process involved developing a computational method to automatically arrange the clips based on their audio features. I defined the organizing principles and editing procedures based on listening closely to the full set of submissions. This procedurally realized arrangement provided the foundation, which I then manually refined and produced to complete the final composition.
The piece was played during a livestream event as astronauts aboard the ISS displayed the HUMANS nanowafer in orbit.