Sound/tracks: artistic real-time sonification of train journeys

Abstract

We present an application of sonification in an artistic context, namely to augment the visual impressions of train journeys. While sonification and auditory displays are typically used as means to present data and to inform the user, our project sound/tracks aims at enhancing the visual experience of looking out of a moving train’s window at the passing landscape by adding a sound dimension. This allows for reflecting upon the visual impressions and deepening the state of contemplation. To this end, sound/tracks translates the perceived movement of the scenery and other visual impressions, such as passing trains, into music. The continuously changing view outside the window is captured with a camera and transformed into instantaneously played music. The application can be run on mobile phones with a built-in camera and on laptops with a Web-cam. The paper proposes and discusses different sonification approaches and presents different application scenarios.