Sonification, Scientific Method and Artistic Practice

Grond F, Schubert-Minski T. Sonification, Scientific Method and Artistic Practice. In: Daniels D, Naumann S, eds. Audiovisuology : see this sound. Vol 2: Audiovisuology Compendium. Köln: Verlag der Buchhandlung Walter König; 2009: 285-295.Sonification refers first of all to the scientific method, developed about twenty years ago, of using 'non-speech audio to convey information'. Its point of departure is the fact that in many cases, the sense of hearing has a high degree of potential to convey in a simple way information that is complementary to the sense of sight. As an alternative and supplement to visualization, sonification often facilitates the understanding of time-based phenomena and structures. Today, the areas of sonification applications are manifold, such as process monitoring, data mining, explorative data analysis, and interface design. Against this background, sonification is also increasingly being used artistically as an esthetic concept and method. Although the current relevance of sonification only emerged with the advent of the polymorphic depiction of information in the context of digitalization, acoustic means have been used for centuries to explain various concepts