AES Europe 2026

‘Nexus Sonance’ is a unique sonic space that is dependent
on time, place, and the people interacting with the
installation. At its core, the concept is a sonic portal
where the Cosmos, Earth, and Humans are unified through
sound in a single location. For this iteration of this
project, we decided to focus on real-time satellite data
sonification and put it as the core concept as our network
makes it possible to collaborate with ESA (European Space
Agency) therefore by sonifying real-time satellite data, we
create an evolving spatial environment where cosmic events
are felt and heard in the present moment.

This installation applies innovative machine-learning based
synthesis techniques with immersive spatial audio to embody
the experience of these unstoppable physical forces,
harnessing real-time satellite and geomagnetic data
provided by the European Space Agency (ESA), by simulating
neural network model corruption via cosmic radiation
following real-time patterns transmitted by the L1
satellite cluster.

While the cosmos is traditionally conceptualized through
heavily processed and "colorized" visual imagery, this
installation shifts the lens to a sonic perspective. Here,
the positioning and synthesis of sound are governed by
live-data streams from orbital satellites and global
geomagnetic stations, creating an immersive environment
where the listener experiences a unique, time-bound sonic
representation of our solar system. As our lives are
increasingly dependent on machine learning and neural
networks whose fundamentals are based on binary forms of
data, introducing the concept of cosmic radiation and data
corruption (based on a Single Event Upset phenomenon)
throughout the duration of the work references the idea of
Entropy as ever changing and expanding state.

Using an ESA-provided data from satellites that measure
specific states of solar weather, namely the Interplanetary
Magnetic Field (IMF) measurements including such variables
as Bt (the total induction of the IMF) which are assigned
to parameters such as intensity, saturation and amount of
the created sonic particles. Other variables include Bx,
By, Bz that compose a 3D magnetic force field measurements
are translatable to positioning, velocity of travel, and
direction of travel. In case ESA could not provide such
data, a backup plan is to use publicly available data from
https://norlys.live/rtsw. Furthermore, with data from L1
ESA-operated satellites, the readings regarding cosmic
radiation flux in space could be used to train a model
predicting the Single Event Upsets (SEU) and simulate
events that impacts the way that RAVE (Ircam) outputs
audio. This creates a metaphorical and literal decay of the
machine-learning output, mirroring the impact of radiation
on digital infrastructure

The earth and human layers that sit as a canvas background,
are a pre-sculpted soundscapes in combination with RAVEs
generative output that is trained on a private collection
of earth recordings (using geophones) and spatial audio
recordings of Georgian Polyphonic Choir “Adilei” which
symbolises the earth and human element within the
spatial-sonic setting. Furthermore, using publicly
available data on geomagnetic changes across the globe
through an intermagnet.org website with a MagPy package, we
are able to influence the textural output of the RAVE where
the changes are related to the positioning of the actual
reading stations. This way achieving a multi-layered sonic
representation of earth’s constantly changing geomagnetic
field, which in combination with real-time space weather
sonification in spatial audio creates a complex and
innovative spatial soundscape that is driven predominantly
by real-time data, meaning, that every time the work is
presented, the outcome is unique, depending on the
circumstances under which it is played.