The RhyVerse Project

About

RhyVerse is a symphony born from data, bringing out the story that each river trying to tell us. 

Using data from vorteX-io hydrological monitoring micro-stations, where the artist currently heads Intl.Biz.Dev (one needs to earn a living), RhyVerse aims to translate the natural language of rivers into human music: letting their rhythms speak to us of their abundance, scarcity... and change.

Excerpt from "RhyVerse-1: Fitzroy river" (2025) 

RhyVerse_1 draws on nearly a year of water-level data collected by a vorteX-io micro-station at the mouth of the Fitzroy River in Queensland as it drains into the Pacific, deployed via the CSIRO AquaWatch program. 

You are invited to listen to the tidal heartbeat of a freshwater river as it drains into the vast ocean, to hear this river not as a resource, but as a storyteller, carrying its ancient songs and urgent warnings. 

She asks you: "If I could sing, would you finally understand my plea for balance? Would you dance to my warning before the silence of my dry beds becomes the only song left?"

In collaboration with French engineer-and-musician Jean-René Camara, this piece is an excerpt from a larger ongoing project, which transforms these measurements into music: a living score that rises and falls with the river’s breath. The first outcome of the project, this work was showcased at the UN IAF 2025 Conference in Sydney, as a testament to the power of the art-science continuum on enlightening us about the fragile beauty of our water systems.

Location of the vorteX-io sensor used for RhyVerse-1. 

RhyVerse draws inspiration from the phenomenal work of Matt Russo's Sonification 101: How to convert data into music with python.

Adapted to river data, the process begins by extracting raw data streams from vorteX-io hydrological sensors, which monitor river levels with centimetric precision. These datasets are then normalized, discretised and converted into MIDI sequences through algorithmic mapping, with an adapted musical scale associated with the notes:

• Water Level → Pitch (higher levels produce higher tones)

• Rate of Change → Tempo (rapid variations accelerate the rhythm)

• Seasonal Patterns → Harmonic Layers (long-term trends shape chords and textures)

The resulting composition is not static, but evolves as these rivers respond to tides, rainfall, drought, and climate shifts. By sonifying these patterns, the artwork invites audiences to listen to environmental change, turning abstract numbers into an emotional, sensory dialogue: 

Each water-level measurement becomes a note.

Rising waters stretch into soaring melodies

Drought compresses sound into hushed tones. 

Seasonal cycles weave into the melody a rhythmic breath.

Publications