A Sonification of the zCOSMOS Galaxy Dataset

This paper proposes a sonification for zCOSMOS, an astronomical dataset that contains information about 20,000 galaxies. The goals of such an initiative are multiple: providing a sound-based description of the dataset in order to make hidden features emerge, hybridizing science with art in a cross-domain framework, and treating scientific data as cultural heritage to be preserved and enhanced, thus breaking down the barriers between scientists and the general audience. In the paper, both technical and artistic aspects of the sonification will be addressed. Finally, some relevant excerpts from the resulting sonification will be presented and discussed.