Art & Science Collaborations — Studio 7MAR San Francisco

Science gives us the means to perceive and to understand the world and universe around us. Art is capable of giving expression to that which is unseen but still very much a part of reality. There are points at which these means of perception, understanding, and expression may overlap, and in doing so yield unexpected insights. I look for such nodes in my work.

I created my first formal art/science collaboration as a studio project in 2014. The ClimateMusic Project connects people to climate science and action through the emotional power of music. We’ve grown into a collaborative spanning science, the arts, and technology, and so far have reached many thousands of people around the world. Visit us at ClimateMusic.org for the latest news.

1 Minute Promo Video

http://www.theclimatemusicproject.org We create and perform original music guided by climate data. Music provides a unique way of communicating the impact that human activities are having on our climate over time. Our work is made possible by close collaboration between leading scientists and artists. Our live performances include synchronized visuals and post-concert public forums during which our audiences can engage actively with our scientists, composers, and musicians. As an analogy for climate, music is familiar, accessible, and—for most people—much easier to relate to than data. We created The ClimateMusic Project to harness this universal language to tell the urgent story of climate change to broad and diverse audiences in a way that resonates and inspires. The following clip is from the composition that we are currently performing, "Climate", by composer Erik Ian Walker in collaboration with The ClimateMusic Project. The full 30-minute piece spans 500 years (1800-2300AD) of the climate's past and present, as well as two possible future scenarios. The data sets are from simulations from the Community Earth System Model (CESM), an open model that has been used extensively in national and international assessments of climate change.

Stephan Crawford, Founder and Executive Producer of the ClimateMusic Project, talks about how music can be a powerful tool for communicating the risks of climate change. An interview by Emma Phillips, Disaster Risk Management Specialist at GFDRR, on the sidelines of the 2018 Understanding Risk Forum.

Laser Lecture, May 2019

Selected Media Coverage

This is What Climate Change Sounds Like, November 9th, 2019

Other press

Science Meets Art: Music to Fight Global Warming, 2/19

Early days...

My studio wall served as a place to brainstorm variations on the idea...still before I had reached out to any scientists or composers

the "charrette"

September, 2014. After almost a year of developing the idea, it was time to test the concept by inviting a composer, climate scientists, and musicians to the studio...they hadn't met...

the "charrette"

...after introductions at 9AM we proposed the challenge for the day: "the scientists have the data, we have food for you. At 5PM a test audience will arrive and you will perform an experimental piece"...

the "charrette"

..."the team" (for that's what it quickly became) worked all day with barely a pause...

the "charrette"

Five o'clock came and the guests arrived. The band played for only twenty minutes, but there were tears in the audience...we had our proof of concept and The ClimateMusic Project was born. The core team started as: Dr. William Collins and Dr. Andrew Jones (science); Erik Ian Walker (composer), Velvet Voelz (Co-Producer); Michele Walther, Thomas Dimuzio, Scott Brazieal (musicians); Richard Perri, fine artist

Creating ClimateMusic 2.0

Over the next 14 months, the team met frequently to work out the development of a more complex composition, including a clear methodology for transposing data into music that people would want to listen to. The meetings weren't always easy...

The premiere

...but in the end the hard work and team cohesion paid off: The premiere planetarium performance of "Climate" at the Chabot Space & Science Center was a sell-out.

The premiere

"Climate" is a 30-minute composition that expresses 500 years of the climate's past, present, and two possible futures. Data animations and planetarium visuals are synchronized with the music.

Commemorative poster

San Francisco artist Richard Louis Perri created this poster to commemorate the premiere concert. Copies of a limited edition are available on the project website: www.theclimatemusicproject.org

2017 Showcase performance at the San Francisco Performing Arts Center

AR Demo, 2017

We partnered with a team at FX Pal in 2017 to explore using VR/AR to enhance the audience experience.

SFCM Collaboration

We launched an on-going collaboration with The San Francisco Conservatory of Music in 2018, working with a spring cohort of young composers to push the creative boundaries fo ClimateMusic

SFCM Collaboration

Engaging with young composers at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

SF Jazz Center

We were honored to have been invited to perform at the SF Jazz Center in 2018…

Mexico City, 2018

In 2018 we partnered with the World Bank on our first live international performance, in Mexico City.

World Bank Panel, 2018

Post-concert panel in Mexico City, featuring James Balog in addition to the ClimateMusic team

Icarus Premiere, 2018

Premiere of Icarus in Flight, 2018, by Richard Festinger and performed by The Telegraph Quartet., San Francisco.

COPUS, 2019

Session with the band COPUS during the creation of What If We…? by Wendy Loomis and Royal Kent.

2020 Pandemic...

…shift to remote coaching of young musicians for Amsterdam performance

2020 Pandemic...

Remote coaching of musicians for Amsterdam performance…

2020 Amsterdam Performance

Amsterdam performance streamed to a wide audience, October 2020.

2020 Pandemic

We have adjusted to remote communications and online performances. This is an early team meeting for our collaboration with composer Theodore Wiprud with violin soloist Elissa Cassini.

2020 Pandemic...

We were scheduled to perform live at The National Academy of Sciences in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day, but the pandemic pushed us to an online version…

AY's in town

UN Youth Leader and ClimateMusic collaborator AY Young paid us a visit in in August, 2021.

SFCM Cohort 2021

Dr. Alison Marklein gives our 2021 young composer cohort a crash course on climate science!

Vienna- San Francisco

Our most ambitious concert so far took place on November 12th, 2021. We collaborated with Vienna-based violinist Yury Revich on a concert for climate action that merged live performances in both cities for a global audience online.

Vienna-San Francisco

…we lined up quote a roster of concert supporters!

Vienna-San Francisco Concert for Climate Action

The Telegraph Quartet at the dress rehearsal the day before the concert

Vienna-San Francisco

…backstage during the concert.

Vienna-San Francisco

…the Telegraph Quartet performed Icarus in Flight…

Vienna-San Francisco

…Yury Revich performing during the concert.

Vienna-San Francisco

Khafre Jay and Martin Luther McCoy performing their call to climate action, “Everything Matters”…