ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Nathalie Miebach - Artist
Nathalie Miebach is a Boston-based artist who translates weather data into complex sculptures and musical scores.

Why you should listen

Nathalie Miebach's work focuses on the intersection of art and science and the visual articulation of scientific observations. Her woven sculptures interpret scientific data related to astronomy, ecology and meteorology in three-dimensional space. Her pieces simulatneously function as works of art, aural embodiments of data (musical compositions) and instruments that illustrate environmental change.

By utilizing artistic processes and everyday materials, Miebach questions and expands the boundaries of traditional science data visualization -- and provokes expectations of what visual vocabulary is considered to be in the domain of science and art. Miebach is a TEDGlobal 2011 Fellow.

More profile about the speaker
Nathalie Miebach | Speaker | TED.com
TEDGlobal 2011

Nathalie Miebach: Art made of storms

娜塔莉・米巴克:风暴之艺术

Filmed:
805,744 views

艺术家娜塔莉・米巴克将大量风暴的气象数据转化成复杂的雕塑,令其体现了自然与时间的力量。这些雕塑又成为一个弦乐四重奏的乐谱。
- Artist
Nathalie Miebach is a Boston-based artist who translates weather data into complex sculptures and musical scores. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:20
(Music音乐)
0
5000
10000
(音乐)
00:39
What you just heard听说
1
24000
2000
你刚刚听到的
00:41
are the interactions互动 of barometric气压 pressure压力, wind and temperature温度 readings读数
2
26000
3000
是我们在2007年录下的诺尔飓风的
00:44
that were recorded记录 of Hurricane飓风 Noel诺埃尔 in 2007.
3
29000
4000
气压,风速和气温数据
00:48
The musicians音乐家 played发挥 off a three-dimensional三维 graph图形 of weather天气 data数据 like this.
4
33000
4000
音乐家演奏的是这个一个三维的气象数据图
00:52
Every一切 single bead珠子, every一切 single colored有色 band,
5
37000
2000
每一个珠子和彩带
00:54
represents代表 a weather天气 element元件
6
39000
2000
代表着一个气象元素
00:56
that can also be read as a musical音乐 note注意.
7
41000
3000
也可以视作一个音符
00:59
I find weather天气 extremely非常 fascinating迷人.
8
44000
2000
我发现气候是非常令人惊叹的东西
01:01
Weather天气 is an amalgam汞合金 of systems系统
9
46000
2000
气候是我们大多数人
01:03
that is inherently本质 invisible无形 to most of us.
10
48000
2000
看不见的系统的结合
01:05
So I use sculpture雕塑 and music音乐
11
50000
2000
所以我用雕塑和音乐
01:07
to make it, not just visible可见,
12
52000
2000
来创造它,不只是让其可见
01:09
but also tactile and audible听得见.
13
54000
2000
并且可以触摸和听到
01:11
All of my work begins开始 very simple简单.
14
56000
2000
我所有的工作开始都很简单
01:13
I extract提取 information信息 from a specific具体 environment环境
15
58000
2000
我用很低技术含量的数据收集装置
01:15
using运用 very low-tech技术含量低 data数据 collecting搜集 devices设备 --
16
60000
3000
提取特定环境的信息--
01:18
generally通常 anything I can find in the hardware硬件 store商店.
17
63000
3000
工具就是你能在五金店找到的那些
01:21
I then compare比较 my information信息 to the things I find on the Internet互联网 --
18
66000
3000
然后我把收集到的信息和网上可查的
01:24
satellite卫星 images图片, weather天气 data数据
19
69000
2000
气象站和海上浮标的
01:26
from weather天气 stations as well as offshore海上 buoys浮标.
20
71000
3000
卫星云图及气象数据进行对比
01:29
That's both historical历史的 as well as real真实 data数据.
21
74000
2000
包括历史数据和实时数据
01:31
And then I compile all of these numbers数字 on these clipboards剪贴板 that you see here.
22
76000
3000
你可以在这些速记板上看见我汇编的这些数据
01:34
These clipboards剪贴板 are filled填充 with numbers数字.
23
79000
2000
上面全是数字
01:36
And from all of these numbers数字,
24
81000
2000
在这些数字里
01:38
I start开始 with only two or three variables变量.
25
83000
2000
我从两三个变量开始
01:40
That begins开始 my translation翻译 process处理.
26
85000
2000
进行翻译工作
01:42
My translation翻译 medium is a very simple简单 basket.
27
87000
3000
我的翻译工具就是个篮子
01:45
A basket is made制作 up of horizontal and vertical垂直 elements分子.
28
90000
4000
一个由经纬线组成的篮子
01:49
When I assign分配 values to the vertical垂直 and horizontal elements分子,
29
94000
3000
当我对纵轴和横轴赋值
01:52
I can use the changes变化 of those data数据 points over time
30
97000
3000
我就能用长期积累的数据
01:55
to create创建 the form形成.
31
100000
2000
来编织其形态
01:57
I use natural自然 reed芦苇,
32
102000
2000
我用的是芦苇
01:59
because natural自然 reed芦苇 has a lot of tension张力 in it
33
104000
2000
因为芦苇很有韧性
02:01
that I cannot不能 fully充分 control控制.
34
106000
2000
我无法完全控制
02:03
That means手段 that it is the numbers数字 that control控制 the form形成,
35
108000
2000
这就意味着这些数字控制其形状
02:05
not me.
36
110000
2000
而不是我
02:07
What I come up with are forms形式 like these.
37
112000
2000
最后得到的造型是这样的
02:09
These forms形式 are completely全然 made制作 up
38
114000
2000
这些造型完全的通过
02:11
of weather天气 data数据 or science科学 data数据.
39
116000
2000
气象数据或者说科学数据形成的
02:13
Every一切 colored有色 bead珠子, every一切 colored有色 string,
40
118000
2000
每一个珠子和彩带
02:15
represents代表 a weather天气 element元件.
41
120000
2000
都是一个气象元素
02:17
And together一起, these elements分子, not only construct构造 the form形成,
42
122000
2000
这些元素不仅仅组成了这个雕塑
02:19
but they also reveal揭示 behavioral行为的 relationships关系
43
124000
2000
也展示了二维图片
02:21
that may可能 not come across横过
44
126000
2000
无法展现的
02:23
through通过 a two-dimensional二维 graph图形.
45
128000
2000
元素间的行为关系
02:25
When you step closer接近, you actually其实 see
46
130000
2000
当你靠近它
02:27
that it is indeed确实 all made制作 up of numbers数字.
47
132000
2000
可以看出它确实由数字产生
02:29
The vertical垂直 elements分子
48
134000
2000
纵轴是
02:31
are assigned分配 a specific具体 hour小时 of the day.
49
136000
2000
一天里的具体时间
02:33
So all the way around, you have a 24-hour-小时 timeline时间线.
50
138000
3000
所以一圈是24小时
02:36
But it's also used to assign分配 a temperature温度 range范围.
51
141000
2000
同时也表示气温的范围
02:38
On that grid, I can then weave编织 the high tide浪潮 readings读数,
52
143000
3000
在此框架下我就能把高潮数据
02:41
water temperature温度, air空气 temperature温度 and Moon月亮 phases.
53
146000
3000
水温,气温和月相编进去
02:44
I also translate翻译 weather天气 data数据 into musical音乐 scores分数.
54
149000
3000
我也把气象数据翻译成乐谱
02:47
And musical音乐 notation符号 allows允许 me a more nuanced细致入微 way
55
152000
3000
音符提供了一种更细致的
02:50
of translating翻译 information信息
56
155000
2000
没有损失的
02:52
without compromising折中 it.
57
157000
2000
信息翻译方式
02:54
So all of these scores分数 are made制作 up of weather天气 data数据.
58
159000
2000
这些乐谱都是用气象数据写成的
02:56
Every一切 single color颜色, dot, every一切 single line线,
59
161000
2000
每一个颜色,每一条线
02:58
is a weather天气 element元件.
60
163000
2000
都是一个气象元素
03:00
And together一起, these variables变量 construct构造 a score得分了.
61
165000
3000
这些变量共同组成乐谱
03:03
I use these scores分数 to collaborate合作 with musicians音乐家.
62
168000
2000
我用这些乐谱和音乐家门编曲
03:05
This is the 1913 Trio三重奏
63
170000
2000
这是1913 Trio
03:07
performing执行 one of my pieces
64
172000
2000
在 Milwaukee艺术博物馆
03:09
at the Milwaukee密尔沃基 Art艺术 Museum博物馆.
65
174000
2000
演奏我的一个作品
03:11
Meanwhile与此同时, I use these scores分数 as blueprints蓝图
66
176000
3000
同时我使用这些乐谱作为蓝图
03:14
to translate翻译 into sculptural雕塑 forms形式 like this,
67
179000
4000
转变这样的雕塑
03:18
that function功能 still in the sense
68
183000
2000
仍然具备
03:20
of being存在 a three-dimensional三维 weather天气 visualization可视化,
69
185000
2000
三维化可视气候的功能
03:22
but now they're embedding嵌入
70
187000
2000
但现在有了可视的
03:24
the visual视觉 matrix矩阵 of the musical音乐 score得分了,
71
189000
2000
乐谱嵌入其中
03:26
so it can actually其实 be read as a musical音乐 score得分了.
72
191000
2000
它就可以作为一个乐谱阅读
03:28
What I love about this work
73
193000
2000
我喜欢这个作品的一点是
03:30
is that it challenges挑战 our assumptions假设
74
195000
2000
它挑战了我们对可视词汇
03:32
of what kind of visual视觉 vocabulary词汇 belongs属于 in the world世界 of art艺术, versus science科学.
75
197000
3000
在科学世界和艺术世界中的假设
03:35
This piece here is read very differently不同
76
200000
2000
这个作品被放置不同的地方
03:37
depending根据 on where you place地点 it.
77
202000
2000
有不同的解读方法
03:39
You place地点 it in an art艺术 museum博物馆, it becomes a sculpture雕塑.
78
204000
2000
你把它放在艺术博物馆,这是个雕塑
03:41
You place地点 it in a science科学 museum博物馆,
79
206000
2000
放在科学博物馆
03:43
it becomes a three-dimensional三维 visualization可视化 of data数据.
80
208000
3000
它就是数据的三维可视化
03:46
You place地点 it in a music音乐 hall大厅,
81
211000
2000
放在音乐厅
03:48
it all of a sudden突然 becomes a musical音乐 score得分了.
82
213000
2000
它又成了一份乐谱
03:50
And I really like that,
83
215000
2000
我喜欢这点
03:52
because the viewer观众 is really challenged挑战
84
217000
2000
因为这对观众常认为
03:54
as to what visual视觉 language语言
85
219000
2000
可视化语言是科学的一部分
03:56
is part部分 of science科学 versus art艺术 versus music音乐.
86
221000
2000
而不是艺术和音乐的看法是一种挑战
03:58
The other reason原因 why I really like this
87
223000
2000
另一个原因是
04:00
is because it offers报价 an alternative替代 entry条目 point
88
225000
3000
它提供了一种不同的
04:03
into the complexity复杂 of science科学.
89
228000
2000
接触科学复杂性的视角
04:05
And not everyone大家 has a Ph博士.D. in science科学.
90
230000
2000
不是每个人都有个自然科学学科的博士学位
04:07
So for me, that was my way into it.
91
232000
2000
因为对我来说,这是我的方式
04:09
Thank you.
92
234000
2000
谢谢
04:11
(Applause掌声)
93
236000
2000
(鼓掌)
Translated by Chunxiang Qian
Reviewed by Jenny Yang

▲Back to top

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Nathalie Miebach - Artist
Nathalie Miebach is a Boston-based artist who translates weather data into complex sculptures and musical scores.

Why you should listen

Nathalie Miebach's work focuses on the intersection of art and science and the visual articulation of scientific observations. Her woven sculptures interpret scientific data related to astronomy, ecology and meteorology in three-dimensional space. Her pieces simulatneously function as works of art, aural embodiments of data (musical compositions) and instruments that illustrate environmental change.

By utilizing artistic processes and everyday materials, Miebach questions and expands the boundaries of traditional science data visualization -- and provokes expectations of what visual vocabulary is considered to be in the domain of science and art. Miebach is a TEDGlobal 2011 Fellow.

More profile about the speaker
Nathalie Miebach | Speaker | TED.com