Nicola Rae

Biography

Nicola Rae’s art practice engages with sound visualisation in response to scientific data as well as live co-produced sound. Installations include projections using both digital technologies and analogue equipment. Since 2008, a series of installations visualising the sonic have responded interactively to a variety of acoustic sources and microphones picking up participatory sound as well as site responsive experimentation. Other sound frequency installations have responded to online archive recordings of electro-acoustic phenomena as well as collaborative projects using research data from scientists.

In 'Remote Sensing Sonification: Jupiter Aurorae', 2019, astrophysical data was converted into sound, which was then re-visualised into images using a sound emission analyser. The resulting partially glitched images were projected through acrylic tubes into revolving structures referencing auroral phenomena and Echelle spectrographs. This interdisciplinary collaboration was with the Astrophysics department at Lancaster University and focused on sonifying Dr Sarah Badman’s research into Jupiter’s aurorae. The installation was inspired by blind astrophysicist, Wanda Diaz Merced, who experiences and interprets space data through sonification.

Working collectively and collaboratively as part of the Digital Maker Collective has included working at Tate Exchange during 2017, 2018 and 2019.