The 79 Moons of Jupiter

Audio/visual performance and installation

Kevin Gilmore & Jacob Richman, Part-Time Faculty, Art

What would the paths of certain planets and their moons sound like as they travel across the night sky if they were given a synthesized voice and modulation based on their coordinates in space?  URI Professors Kevin Gilmore and Jacob Richman, in collaboration with Scott MacNeil, lead astronomer and technician at Frosty Drew Observatory in Charlestown, RI, and the curators of the University of Rhode Island Planetarium on Upper College Road seek answers to this question to learn more about the solar system through this unique sonic rendering.  The 79 Moons of Jupiter is a live, audio-visual installation and performance piece that includes electronic sounds synthesized using live data of the orbits of Jupiter’s moons.  The artistic vision for audio-visual performers Gilmore & Richman include educational, research, and outreach goals to activate the local treasures found in the Frosty Drew Observatory at Ninigret Park in Charlestown, RI, and one of the smallest planetariums in the world on the Kingston campus of the University of Rhode Island.