"Years" — Tree Turntable by Bartholomäus Traubeck

Bartholomäus Traubeck, sales a German designer, artist, and inventor, has crafted a modified record player that takes wood slices from trees and creates music out of scan data gathered from the inner rings:

The Traubeck tree turntable pairs a standard record turntable with a PlayStation Eye Camera attached to the (motorized, moving) arm. In lieux of a tangible needle locking into the grooves of a piece of vinyl, the slowly panning, stylus-mounted Eye Camera reader scans a disc of wood as it rotates below, then passes the data on to computer running an Ableton Live program, which Traubeck has specifically installed with algorhythims that match distinct keyboard notes to various scan density levels.

The resulting music is surprisingly lucid, conveying –quite literally– the internal rhythms of the life of an individual tree.  Breathtaking and melancholy.

(Via Charles Peirce.)

6 Responses to “"Years" — Tree Turntable by Bartholomäus Traubeck”

  1. Jeffrey Wengrofsky Says:

    I now know what sound a tree makes when it is not falling. This is, of course, brilliant and fascinating on many levels, not the least of which is the choice of piano to translate the patterns into music. I think that piano may work well with clusters – it is big, dramatic, and, indeed, full of life. Thanks for this nugget.

  2. Geoff Says:

    How does that even work? Trees aren’t spirals, they’re concentric rings.

  3. Jamie Potter Says:

    The tonearm is on a motor so it is forced to move over the disc as it spins.

  4. Be Says:

    This is fascinating.

  5. tracie Says:

    how fantastic and beautiful this is.

  6. Griffleo Says:

    Beautiful. Magical. Serene. Sensuous.