Planet earth is a dynamic system in which small- and large-scale movements constantly occur. Some of these take place within seconds, some over millions of years. What would it be like if we could hear these movements? This is exactly what Wolfgang Loos (Berlin-based composer and sound engineer) and Frank Scherbaum (professor of geophysics at the University of Potsdam) are putting into practice. During long nights working in the recording studio, they transformed seismic data from earthquakes and volcanoes into the sonorous symphony "Inner Earth".
Listen to an original piece from the CD “Inner Earth” (© Traumton Records).
Frank Scherbaum:
The earth is constantly in motion. This takes place on timescales that we do not necessarily notice. The earth builds mountains over timescales of millions of years, while over timescales of seconds, it vibrates continuously due to wind and traffic. The earth is not at rest, but rather constantly in motion. [...] Everything that can vibrate can also make sounds.
Wolfgang Loos:
In the beginning, the results were quite disappointing. After transformation into the audible range, there was some crackling or a short plop, a brief noise. It was impossible to listen to with interest. [...] But after I worked on them a bit more, I found melodies – very large, long arcs. These seismic measurements were made over days, weeks, months. When I transform them into the audible range and also shorten them, I get material that is 10, 20, 30 seconds long. And then you can hear the structures that you would expect. You can hear a certain regularity in the overtone, but also interesting deviations. You could never simulate them with a synthesizer.