MAGNETOSPHERE

In Magnetosphere, the raw audio samples of the earth’s magnetic radio waves
are transformed into an evolving cosmic landscape,
with unfolding harmonics, static glitches and an
expanding aura of textural turmoil.

“It is simply beautiful” D. Maori

Magnetosphere had it’s world premiere at the New York City Festival of Electroacoustic Music in the summer of 2017.   Subsequently, I created a film (Magnetosphere - Sounds of the Earth) using this soundscape to create over 47 visualiser videos which were themselves edited, transformed and layered to create the visuals.  The film was premiered at the 2021 Earth Day Art Model Festival at Indiana University Purdue University Indianopolis (IUPUI).

Planet Earth naturally produces electromagnetic radio waves, which can be converted to sound waves using a VLF (very low frequency) receiver allowing us to hear this “Earth Song”.   

The sounds are identified as:

Sferics and Tweeks - atmospherics emitted by lightning strokes.

Whistlers - originating from thunderstorms, meteorites or after earthquakes, interacting with plasma particles in the radiation belts.

Dawn Chorus - Chorus waves generated near the magnetic equator, peaking at local dawn, sounding like birds singing and called “killer electrons” as they can cause damage to satellites and harm astronauts.

Hiss - low-frequency radio waves evolved from chorus waves which deflect speedy particles in the earth’s upper atmosphere.

Original audio samples courtesy of CARISMA
(The Canadian Array for Realtime Investigations of Magnetic Activity,
operated by the University of Alberta and funded by the Canadian Space Agency)