Machine 9′ tracks the positions of 27,000 pieces of space junk, transforming them into sound, as they pass overhead.
Created by Nick Ryan Studio, engineer Dave Cranmer and a team of technicians, the handcrafted sound instrument monitors live data from NASA and other sources, transflating the movement of pieces of space debris into sound, in real time.
The machine, a handcrafted electromechanical instrument consists of a 2 metre long cylinder with 1000 ‘locked grooves’ cut into a lacquered surface. Each groove carries a sound signal representing an individual piece of space debris. As pieces of space debris orbit above Earth, it initiates a stylus mechanisms to locate and play one of the 1000 grooves, creating a live audio composition and a unique piece of music.
The installation formed a part of Project Adrift, a collaboration between filmmaker Cath Le Couteur and Nick Ryan.