Undergrad

A Song of Our Warming Planet

This post comes from Chantal Bilodeau’s Artists and Climate Change Blog

Daniel Crawford; photo clip from A Song of Our Warming Planet

Daniel Crawford; photo clip from A Song of Our Warming Planet

Sometimes the arts can turn a cold set of data into a vivid experience. A remarkable example of this is how University of Minnesota undergrad Daniel Crawford uses his cello to communicate climate science through music. Crawford based his composition, A Song of Our Warming Planet, on surface temperature data from the NASA Goddard Institute of Space Studies. Each note represents a year from 1880 to 2012, with low notes assigned to relatively cool years and high notes to relatively warm years. The result is a haunting musical representation of the state of our planet, and a glimpse at where it is heading. I promise after listening to the piece, you will never be able to forget that temperature graph ever again.

Several articles have  written about the project. If you’re interested in Crawford’s process, make sure to look at Climate Progress and ensia.

Filed under: Music 

Artists and Climate Change is a blog by playwright Chantal Bilodeau that tracks artistic responses from all disciplines to the problem of climate change. It is both a study about what is being done, and a resource for anyone interested in the subject. Art has the power to reframe the conversation about our environmental crisis so it is inclusive, constructive, and conducive to action. Art can, and should, shape our values and behavior so we are better equipped to face the formidable challenge in front of us.

Go to Chantal Bilodeau’s Artists and Climate Change Blog

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