From a Trickle to a Flood

A Framework for Sonifying Data Using Embodied Cognition

This is a sonification created from Irish immigration data over the period 1997-2013, using the metaphor of a water flow as the sonification medium. It uses recorded numbers of immigrants entering the country each year as well as recorded usage of flow metaphors in the Irish Times to describe immigration as its input data.

In contrast to other sonification work, this project seeks to illustrate a more intuitive and universal framework for sonifying data; where the audio not only represents the data values, but also informs the listener of its nature. In attempting this, the author has examined conceptual metaphor and embodied cognition in order to utilize existing cognitive structures, and so choose sounds that are already associated with what is being sonified in the listener’s mind.

This project examines sonification and embodied cognition, it then combines these to create and apply a framework for sonifying data, the result of which is displayed below. For further information on this project, please contact the author.