
Associate Professor Jon Drummond
Associate Professor
School of Creative Industries
Turning data into music
Associate Professor Jon Drummond is transforming art, nature and data into music to highlight scientific discoveries in a way that is accessible and creative.
Associate Professor Jon Drummond’s research, which combines music with computing, is helping less accessible scientific research come to life and reach a wider audience.
Drawing on the skills of sound design, composition and software design, Drummond collaborates with other artists and scientists in the field of sonification and data visualisation. His research looks at the ways that the world of data we live in can be represented in both sound and digitalisation through creative coding.
“I work primarily in the arts/science domain so my work is about how sonification can help tell the story of science,” Drummond said.
The composer and sound artist began his studies at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music as a classically trained musician studying piano performance and composition
when he discovered the potential of working both in the music studio and with computers. He went on to do a Masters of Science in computer engineering to the develop software skills needed to create and manipulate sounds and use software to compose music. His PhD examined interactive electro-acoustics, sonification and visualisation.
Highlighting the demise of the bumble bee
Across Northern Europe the fields are an eye catching green, however the lack of flowers means the landscape is as barren as a desert to the bumble bee.
Drummond was one of the researchers on a large-scale project rolled out across the Netherlands and North Germany, known as ‘Oratorio for a Million Souls’.
Collaborating with thousands of bees, this project created three architectural structures, in the form of traditional bee ‘skeps’ in botanical gardens in Buitenpost (Fryslan) and Oldenburg and Emden (Germany). To generate empathy with the dire state of bees in the face of commercial farming, pesticides and global warming, these three ‘Oratorios’ contained Bumble Bee nests equipped with audio and data sensors that created a multi-channel real time opera audiences could participate in. In a unique inter-species situation visitors could experience the uncanny sensation of being located in the heart of a massive bee city.
“Multiple stories of sustainability and environmental impact could be told through this process. The public could go in and see and hear the visualisation of the data, hear the bees and open up a dialogue with the scientists who have been researching the plight of the bumble bee,” Drummond said.
“One of the best moments of that project was when we installed the skeps in the garden and the general public came through and we could sit back and see the conversations unfold about the environmental situation and hear people talking about how they could make a difference and help save the bees.”
Drummond also turned the data and sounds recorded in the hives into music that brass bands played to local audiences, further enhancing public interest in the project.
“The beehive entry and exits were heard as pulses in the music. The bees would have a slow start to the day then activity increased as the day wore on then slowed down, so that provided a rhythmic framework for the musical piece. We used the frequency of their buzz to provide a scale,” Drummond noted. “The brass band performances of the bee soundscape invited further discussion around the environmental situation.”
Interpreting art as sound
Another of Drummond’s projects brings to life musically the artworks of Arthur Boyd. In a collaboration with scientists, artists, media and communications academics the project tells the history of Arthur Boyd’s Bundanon property which was gifted to the Australian people following his death in 1999.
Scientists conducted a mineral analysis of the soil at the property and discovered when human habitation began in the area and also revealed the story of Arthur Boyd’s use of paint.
“The mineral analysis showed the use of lead and cobalt in the art studio. We analysed the mineral data and produced a unique visualisation in conjunction with a Geiger counter inspired soundscape that played individual notes. Low notes for the heavy elements and high notes for the lighter elements,” Drummond said. “Visitors to the site were invited to use an app on their phones to access the data and soundscape while walking around the property. The app also provided multimedia material on the history of the property.”
Drummond collaborated with artist Nigel Heyler on another project that brought to life Boyd’s artworks. He invented a camera vision system to read the minerals in Boyd’s paintings and interpreted this data as a compelling sound composition. The resulting installation, Heavy Metal, invited visitors to interact with Boyd's paintings in his old studio at the Bundanon homestead to discover a hidden world of elements and minerals in an experience that was simultaneously chemical, visual and musical.
“We used a camera on Arthur Boyd’s paintings to get a colour measurement which we could then correlate to a pigment which we could then correlate to a mineral spectrum. It was a playful installation that allowed you to ‘play’ the painting with music. We were able to access Boyd’s piano and turned the piano sounds into painting sounds,” Drummond explained.
Using sonification to relieve stress
It’s Drummond’s fascination with the way that humans can be both moved and inspired by sound and music that lends itself to his collaboration with Dr David Cornforth, a computing researcher at the University of Newcastle. They are testing the potential of sounds and sonification to relieve stress.
“This project will undertake a study of simple to use, commercially available Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) devices and music, sound design, and environmental soundscapes for a personal health biofeedback system,” Drummond said.
“We’ll be using the BCI device to measure the patient’s brainwaves while also delivering sound to their ears,” he said. “We know anecdotally that music and soundscapes can help with relaxation and reducing stress but we are aiming to measure scientifically what impact the sound has on the patient’s heart rate, respiration, brainwaves, temperature and blood pressure. We’ll also ask the patient to complete a depression and anxiety questionnaire.”
“By measuring their physiological response to sound we can clinically report what effect the music has on a patient’s emotional state.”
Turning data into music
Associate Professor Jon Drummond is transforming art, nature and data into music to highlight scientific discoveries in a way that is accessible and creative.Associate Professor Jon Drummond’s research, which combines music with computing, is helping less accessible scientific research come…
Career Summary
Biography
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, University of Western Sydney
- Bachelor of Music, Sydney Conservatorium
- Master of Science (Honours), Macquarie University
Keywords
- Australian Music
- Composition
- Creativity
- Electroacoustic
- Interaction Design
- Media Production
- Music
- Programming
- Robotics
- Sound Design
Fields of Research
Code | Description | Percentage |
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190203 | Electronic Media Art | 40 |
190407 | Music Performance | 30 |
190406 | Music Composition | 30 |
Professional Experience
UON Appointment
Title | Organisation / Department |
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Associate Professor | University of Newcastle School of Creative Industries Australia |
Academic appointment
Dates | Title | Organisation / Department |
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1/1/2013 - 17/11/2017 | Senior Lecturer | University of Technology Sydney School of Humanities and Social Science Australia |
Publications
For publications that are currently unpublished or in-press, details are shown in italics.
Journal article (3 outputs)
Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | |||||
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2020 |
Studley T, Drummond J, Scott N, Nesbitt K, 'Evaluating Digital Games for Competitive Music Composition', Organised Sound, 25 75-88 (2020) [C1]
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2014 |
Dean RT, Bailes F, Drummond J, 'Generative Structures in Improvisation: Computational Segmentation of Keyboard Performances', JOURNAL OF NEW MUSIC RESEARCH, 43 224-236 (2014)
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2009 |
Drummond J, 'Understanding Interactive Systems', ORGANISED SOUND, 14 124-133 (2009)
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Conference (6 outputs)
Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | |||||
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2020 |
Bockeler H, Cornforth DJ, Drummond J, Olling L, Jelinek HF, 'The Effectiveness of Paced Breathing versus Game-Biofeedback on Heart Rate Variability: An Observational Study', 2020 11th Conference of the European Study Group on Cardiovascular Oscillations: Computation and Modelling in Physiology: New Challenges and Opportunities, ESGCO 2020, Pisa, Italy (2020) [E1]
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2019 | Drummond J, Helyer N, 'Heavy Metal and the Oratorio for a Million Souls', Heavy Metal and the Oratorio for a Million Souls, Gwangju Korea (2019) | |||||||
2019 |
Studley T, Drummond J, Scott N, 'Exploring Competitive Musical Creativity in Digital Composition Games', Proceedings of the 7th International Workshop on Musical Metacreation (MUME 2019), University of North Carolina, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA (2019) [E1]
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2018 |
Studley T, Drummond J, Scott NB, Nesbitt K, 'Designing for Stochastic Game-Based Composition with Max and Unity', Reflecting Worlds: The Promise and Limitations of Mimesis in Electronic Music. Proceedings of the Australasian Computer Music Conference 2018, Perth, Australia (2018) [E1]
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Show 3 more conferences |
Creative Work (2 outputs)
Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | ||
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2020 |
Kenke R, Anelli L, Wright R, Minichiello M, Drummond J, O'Donnell L, et al., The House We Build, Newcastle, NSW (2020) [J1]
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2018 | Drummond J, Culturescape: An Environmental Portrait of Bundanon, Bundanon (2018) |
Other (2 outputs)
Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | ||
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2012 |
Vella RJ, Drummond J, 'Mathematics, Music, Visualisation & Creative Thinking', . Canberra (2012)
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2007 |
Vella R, Drummond J, 'ACID Press: a New Approach to Knowledge Collaboration', : Resonate Magazine (2007) [O1]
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Grants and Funding
Summary
Number of grants | 2 |
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Total funding | $7,000 |
Click on a grant title below to expand the full details for that specific grant.
20211 grants / $5,000
Transdisciplinary Research Network in Art and Interface Technology (TRAIT)$5,000
Funding body: Faculty of Education and Arts, University of Newcastle
Funding body | Faculty of Education and Arts, University of Newcastle |
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Project Team | Dr Rewa Wright (Lead); Dr Andrea Cassin; A/Prof Jon Drummond; Dr Ralph Kenke; Prof Mario Minichiello; Dr Nicole Carroll; Dr Clinton Watkins (Auckland Uni of Technology); Dr Alsion Bennett (RMIT) |
Scheme | Strategic Network and Pilot Project Grants Scheme |
Role | Investigator |
Funding Start | 2021 |
Funding Finish | 2021 |
GNo | |
Type Of Funding | Internal |
Category | INTE |
UON | N |
20191 grants / $2,000
International Symposium on Electronic Art ISEA2019, Republic of Korea, 22-28 June 2019.$2,000
Funding body: Faculty of Education and Arts, University of Newcastle
Funding body | Faculty of Education and Arts, University of Newcastle |
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Scheme | FEDUA Conference Travel Grant |
Role | Lead |
Funding Start | 2019 |
Funding Finish | 2019 |
GNo | |
Type Of Funding | Internal |
Category | INTE |
UON | N |
News
Virtual concert set to transform performance possibility
July 19, 2019
Associate Professor Jon Drummond
Position
Associate Professor
School of Creative Industries
Faculty of Education and Arts
Contact Details
jon.drummond@newcastle.edu.au | |
Mobile | 0413048837 |