LIGO’s Night of Gravitational Wave Science and Music

LIGO invites you to a Night of Gravitational Wave Science and Music, featuring musical compositions by artist harte echtzeit. Learn about the exciting science of gravitational waves, and how their real scientific data can inspire and be transformed into music.

It took about 100 years for Einsteins prediction to become true, but in 2015 gravitational waves were detected for the first time by the Advanced LIGO instrument. These waves coming from the depths of space, carry energy and information about the history of the universe. They squeeze and stretch the fabric of space-time even after billions of years of travelling.

In the album ji kū kan, sonifications of gravitational waves are transformed into musique concréte-inspired pieces. The tracks help us to travel through space and time with rhythmic patterns, mysterious sound textures and experimental structures. Ji kū kan, the Japanese expression for space-time, explores space and time in a minimal yet sometimes dreamy, as well as danceable way. A live-coded experimental journey.

Artist Info

Harte echtzeit is a musical project of scientist Christopher Taudt, that is primarily focused on minimalist compositions and the musical texture that evolves from scientific data. While conventional sounds and field recordings already convey meaning and associations, scientific data does not. Harte echtzeit is interested in these seemingly abstract sound objects. He tries to capture their inherent rhythm and structure while also imprinting some of his emotions on them. Harte echtzeit is equally inspired by well-known avantgarde artists such as Gutdrun Gut, Delia Derbyshire, Frank Bretschneider and Bernard Parmegiani as well as by contemporary artists from the live-coding movement. He is frequently playing live in algoraves, performances and festivals. Together with friends he is also the co-organizer and co-founder Futur AAA festival.