S+T+ARTS in the City | Artists-in-Residence
Samuel van Ransbeeck | FARMSONICS: Harvesting Insights through Real-Time Data-Driven Music
+ About FarmSonics
FarmSonics is an innovative arts-science project that aims to bridge the gap between the realms of art, science, and agriculture. By using IoT data from farms, I want to create a novel way of monitoring and understanding agricultural systems through sonification which is the process of translating data into sound. The core idea is to transform real-time farm data into dynamic and evolving musical compositions, or “soundscapes,” where each sonic element corresponds to specific data inputs. This auditory representation will not only provide farmers with an intuitive and immediate way of detecting anomalies but also contribute to a collective platform for knowledge sharing and decision-making in agriculture.
Why sonify? Traditional data visualization methods often rely on visual representations, which might not always be the most effective way to detect anomalies or changes in complex systems. The human ear, on the other hand, is remarkably adept at detecting subtle variations and patterns in sound. By sonifying the IoT data generated by farms, FarmSonics will use this inherent capability of our auditory senses. This approach enables farmers to perceive changes and anomalies in their agricultural systems more rapidly and accurately, leading to quicker interventions and improved farm management practices.
With FarmSonics, the artist wants to create a musical interpretation of agricultural IoT data. This will help farmers to understand their land and crops better. After the residency, he hopes that the sonification can be integrated into the overall IoT system so that sound becomes a fundamental part of how we analyse the data. The system should be easy to use, affordable (especially for small-scale farmers without much capital) and open for further additions, as if it were a modular system.
With the artist links to Brazil and the UK, he can expand the project, bring people together, and create new opportunities. The FarmSonics project should be a two-way knowledge exchange: he wants to learn more about IoT and agriculture, possibly even working with some sensors directly (like hooking them up to Arduino) so he can listen to soils all over the world.
The relationship between the artist and scientist evolved from initial curiosity and cautious exploration to a deeper, mutual understanding and respect. As they realized they shared the same goal of providing the agricultural sector with innovative approaches to understanding soil, humidity, and land characteristics, their collaboration intensified. The scientist’s resources and the artist’s creativity complemented each other effectively. This synergy led to a highly interesting result that met their shared expectations, ultimately benefiting farmers and resulting in a highly positive reception.
+ Artist
Samuel van Ransbeeck is a sound artist and researcher. His main interests are sonification and digital humanities. His work is interdisciplinary and collaborative, always looking for new ways of expression. He obtained his PhD in science and technology of the arts at the catholic University of Portugal and developed DataScapR, a toolbox to listen to the stock markets. He has worked at several Universities and research institution around the world like the University of Manchester, The Getúlio Vargas Foundation, INESC, and more in art-science projects, Brazilian art. and sustainable aquaculture. He has been the recipient of several large grants for art and research projects such as the Mediafutures.eu programme to develop Mumidis in collaboration with uTrigg, as well as a Brazilian government grant for talented researchers, and his PhD grant from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology.
+ Video Statement
+ Credits
This project has been developed in the context of the S+T+ARTS in the City project. S+T+ARTS in the City has received funding from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology under grant agreement No. LC-01984766.
S+T+ARTS in the City is funded by the European Union under grant agreement LC-01984766 under the STARTS – Science, Technology and Arts initiative of DG CNECT. Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or DG CNECT. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
