WORKS – Planetary Bands, Warming World

In ALL, WORKS by Alex Pedersen

Composed by: Daniel Crawford and Scott St. George

Performed by: Julian Maddox, Jason Shu, Alastair Witherspoon and Nigel Witherspoon

Utilizing 133 years of global temperature measurements from NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Science, Crawford and St. George designed each note in their composition to express the average temperature of four different zones of the globe’s Northern Hemisphere. Rendering scientific research of the anthropocene to a string quartet, comprised of two violins, a viola and a cello; each instrument reflects data from the Arctic, high, mid and equatorial latitudes.

The sound of climate change from the Amazon to the Arctic from Ensia on Vimeo.

This work of art draws viewers into what the creators describe as: “a visceral encounter with more than a century’s worth of weather data collected across the northern half of the planet.” St. George explains how: “Listening to the violin climb almost the entire range of the instrument is incredibly effective at illustrating the magnitude of change — particularly in the Arctic which has warmed more than any other part of the planet.”

The sound of climate change from the Amazon to the Arctic

The Smithsonian Magazine

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About the Author

Alex Pedersen

Alex is a critical scholar and social scientist. During her degrees, Alex recognized a dearth of knowledge transfer between the academy and the general public. To address this gap, she extends her empirical research through multiple mediums including: publications, formal lectures, public speaking events, radio, theatre and photography. In diversifying access to her research, Alex honed a unique set of skills to plan, design and produce events for a wide variety of audiences. To date, she was responsible for several successful lecture series, community events and fundraisers across diverse settings. Most notably, Alex organized and implemented the 2015 Chancellor Dunning Trust Lectureship and was an advisor for the “Free Queen’s” Steering Committee (an initiative encouraging graduates to bring their work to the wider public). In addition, she has written numerous successful grant applications. An activist at heart, Alex advocates for critical thinking in and beyond academic institutions.