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The Sky Vane.

A dynamic orchestral-electronic soundtrack suite for weather-powered sound installation by pyka.

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In partnership with the National Trust, and Commissioned by Tin Shed Theatre Company/Our Living Levels for Big Skies Festival 2021  – The Sky Vane provides people with the opportunity to enjoy an atmosphere-driven reactive sound experience – as they simply lay down amongst the grass, take a breath, look up to the sky, and listen.

At the centre of The Sky Vane experience sits a beautiful structure that is powered by a collection of microcontrollers (Raspberry Pi, Arduino) and a series of meteorological sensors. Each of the sensors detects changes in light, temperature, pressure, and humidity in order to create a dynamic sky-gazing soundtrack that evolves and changes throughout the day.

 

"My kids and I stopped for a cloud-watching session at The Sky Vane. We loved it! They should be set up everywhere for people to enjoy." Casnewydd Community Cycling.

 

"This was the most wonderful and unique 'sound bath' we have ever experienced. We returned to it later in the day to eat our lunch as we sat around it!" Visitor of The Big Skies festival.

The Sky Vane is a rolling installation production by pyka which launched in July 2021 at Tredegar House Parklands in South Wales, UK in collaboration with The National Trust.

  

For this project, I was responsible for composing and producing the adaptive generative soundtrack that serves as the output centrepiece for the installation. The suite features a total of 9 movements, 3 for the morning cycle, 3 for the afternoon cycle, and 3 for the evening/nighttime cycle.

In addition to this, I also contributed to the design of the audio engine in Pure Data, as well as the assembly of the structure and the electronic hardware that enabled the weather to control the functions and processes established within the bespoke audio engine. 

You can listen to the soundtrack that was generated during the very first outing of The Sky Vane on all major streaming platforms.

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