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Nathalie Miebach bridges data, sound, and sculpture at the School of Data Science
On a crisp October evening, the University of Virginia’s School of Data Science hosted "Data, Story, and Sound," an event where data and art converged and weather data became music. The occasion was for the School's inaugural Artist-in-Residence, Nathalie Miebach. Known for her intricate woven sculptures and musical scores derived from meteorological data, Miebach reimagins how we interpret data by exploring the forces of nature that shape our world.
The evening began with opening remarks from Phil Bourne, Stephenson dean of the School of Data Science, who reflected on the institution's mission to be a "school without walls" and bridge disciplines. “We are committed to building connections across the arts and sciences,” he said. “You’ll see that clearly this evening.”
Assistant Professor of Data Science Alex Gates, co-chair of the School's Art and Artifacts Committee, echoed that sentiment. “Tonight is about something at the heart of our work as data scientists, seeing data not just as information but as inspiration,” he said. “Data is both a tool for discovery and a medium for communication, imagination, and human connection. Our Artist-in-Residence program celebrates this belief by pairing analytical insight of data with the expressive power of art and design."
With that introduction, the audience welcomed Miebach, whose work has been exhibited at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and the Peabody Essex Museum, among others. Her practice, as Gates described, “lives at the boundary between science and art, where numbers take on shape, rhythm, and emotion.”
From Legos to Hurricanes
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Miebach began by tracing her artistic journey back to childhood. She showed a 1981 Lego advertisement, stating, "in many ways, it is the most serious slide in the entire presentation."
She continued, “It matters because I learned how to think when I was a kid, and I had a lot of Legos,” she said with a smile. “Legos weren’t just about building things; they were about understanding systems.” That systems-oriented thinking, she explained, continues to shape her approach to data.
For Miebach, data is her building block. She collects information from storms, tides, and atmospheric shifts — sometimes using handmade instruments she — and translates those numbers into woven sculptures and musical compositions. Early in her career, the work was focused on exploring science through art, she said. “But now, 25 years later, it’s far more complicated." Her sculptures now help her examine how people emotionally process data.
Miebach's approach involves both meticulous measurement and creative translation. “The more numerical, the easier it is to work with,” she said. “But there is always a layer of interpretation. Numbers are building blocks, the beginning of everything I do.”
Translating Storms into Sculpture
Much of Miebach’s art focuses on extreme weather, approaching storms as both environmental and social phenomena. She begins by collecting meteorological data such as wind speed, precipitation, and tidal patterns. But her sculptures also weave in human experiences of rebuilding and resilience.
One sculpture currently on exhibit at the School of Data Science was inspired by and named after Hurricanes Ian and Nicole. It integrates data from both storms into colorful woven forms.
“Many storms don’t just happen once,” Miebach explained. “The damage to a community is often the result of a series of storms.” She said the piece's bright color palette reflects the unexpected optimism she encountered. "People were determined to rebuild stronger.”
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When Data Becomes Sound
To illustrate her musical translation process, Miebach projected images of her hand-drawn musical matrices. “I start with the numbers,” she explained. “I take wave height, wind speed, and temperature, and I plot them across a piano keyboard. It’s simple, but it helps me see relationships between the data points.” She then develops both a score and a sculpture from the same dataset.
An example of such a musical score is Build Me a Platform, High in the Trees, so I May See the Waters, also on display as part of the Miebach exhibition through May 2026.
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Miebach has partnered with various composers to bring her musical scores to life as performed compositions. She partnered with Harrison Ponce to create a performance piece titled Streams, which debuted in 2019 by the ETHEL string quartet at National Sawdust.
Ponce wrote in the program notes, "The music is an attempt to focus deeply on the emotional aspects of the human experience during flooding disasters." He also emphasized the increasing risks posed by climate change. "Change is imminent," he wrote, "and our loss will be great."
The School of Data Science concluded Miebach's presentation with a live performance of Streams, performed by four musicians employed at the University of Virginia. They included violinists Patrick Keese (Micromobility Coordinator for Parking and Transportation) and Annie Kim (Assistant Professor of Law), violist Micah Hunter-Chang (a graduate student at the School of Medicine), and Emma Candelier (Director of Marketing and Communication for the School of Data Science and co-chair of the Art and Artifacts Committee).
Miebach's weeklong residency may be over, but her collaboration with the School of Data Science is still ongoing, with plans for a new musical score and commissioned art piece. "I don’t think of this residency as finished," she said. "I think of it as just the beginning. The School of Data Science is a crossroads, with different disciplines, experiences, and intentions flowing through the building every day. I’m excited to respond to that energy and see where it leads.”
