Variable 4 is a beautiful piece that shows how sensorial or intangible phenomena can be translated into a musical experience. I wasn’t familiar with Jones/Bulley’s work so this is a really interesting project that gives me an insight into what can be done with capturing systems and software. I believe the piece offers a new way to experience and relate with the environment, turning invisible experiences into malleable substance. I imagine that every version of this sound installation is absolutely unique as it operates with diverse weather patterns from different geographical areas.
In this sense, I would like to imagine that all these weather changes are not just data for the compositions, but active collaborators for musical experimentation.
This reminds me of a piece made by Ólafur Eliasson called Seismo Sound Compass (2018) that translates seismic activity into sound, this case into the note A. Although this piece does not have the complexity and magnitude of Variable 4, it has a similar spirit.
Here are the other posts I reviewed:
How We Act Together by Lauren Lee McCarthy and Kyle McDonald