Art of Polymers: Intervallic Chemistry

ART OF POLYMERS

 
 

a concert of music and science
celebrating the 100th anniversary of artificial polymers

presented by Multiverse Concert Series and the WPI Music, Perception and Robotics Lab
in collaboration with the MONET Project

Artificial Polymers - now celebrating their 100th anniversary - are essential to our modern lives. However, in order to meet the needs of the future, polymer scientists must continue to innovate: designing new polymers that are not only biodegradable, but able to solve new challenges in our ever-developing world. The Art of Polymers project will celebrate this cutting edge research of the MONET Project in a concert of music and science for an audience of all ages.

David is composing music from the structures of atoms, molecules and polymers. So far, he has sonified all of the common plastics - soon to be woven into musical compositions.

Rules of Intervallic Chemistry

Intervallic Chemistry I - Full Score.png

  1. The molecules are read through linearly from left to right where possible, with each atom represented by a musical note. The first note can be chosen freely.

  2. When moving to the next atom, the musical interval is decided by its atomic number counted in half steps. The direction can either be rising or falling, and this direction should be maintained unless branches are formed. 

  3. Notes can be rounded into a chosen scale. In a diatonic scale, carbon should be rounded down, nitrogen up.

  4. Implied hydrogen atoms are omitted.

  5. Short branches of 1 atom outwards from the linear chain are represented by short notes preceding the central atom, or simultaneously with it as a chord. Alternating branches will invert their musical intervals.

  6. True branching forks are played one branch at a time, moving from left to right or top to bottom. Alternating branches will invert their musical intervals. Branches can optionally be played simultaneously.

  7. For atomic rings (e.g. benzene), the direction of intervals should reverse in the middle to return as closely as possible to the starting note, then returning to the initial intervallic direction. The atom at the nexus of the ring will be played twice. 

  8. While a branch or chain is being completed, notes at the fork point(s) are held.

  9. If branching occurs in the 3rd Z axis, these notes are signaled by a modal change, plus inverted intervals if the direction is moving away from view.

  10. Octave doublings can allow the chain to transpose to a new range.

David IbbettComment