New York City Immigration Song is a data representation in the form of a digitally controlled acoustic sound installation. It features a network of mechanically actuated piano strings stretched from nodes across a wall-mounted map to a central anchor point located at New York. New York City immigration data dating back to 1855 serves as material for an algorithmic musical composition, sonically representing the city’s changing population and the countries to which it is connected through its residents.
The data is represented as follows:
Distance from point of origin to NYC: Pitch of note. lower = longer distance (wires tuned to same tension).
Number of people: Duration of note.
Missing Data Point: Snare hit.
Digital Prototype of NYC Immigration Song
Data Representation of NYC immigration data from 1855 - 2000.
The data is represented as follows:
Distance from point of origin to NYC (based on latitude and longitude data):
Pitch of note (lower = longer distance)
Stereo pan of note (spread from left to right according to how far East or West of NYC the point of origin falls on the map)
Length and position of line
Number of people:
Volume of note (louder - more people)
Number of repetitions of note (1 rep = 1000 people)
Alpha value (opacity) of line
Data sources: U.S. Census data as compiled in the Encyclopedia of New York City 2nd Edition, Kenneth T. Jackson(editor).
