Creating Order and Progress

This paper details the mapping strategy of the work Order and Progress: a sonic segue across A Auriverde, a composition based upon the skyscape represented on the Brazilian flag. This work uses the Stellarium planetarium software as a performance interface, blending the political symbology, scientific data and musical mapping of each star represented on the flag as a multimedia performance. The work is interfaced through the Stellar Command module, a Java based program that converts the visible field of view from the Stellarium planetarium interface to astronomical data through the VizieR database of astronomical catalogues. This scientific data is then mapped to musical parameters through a Java based programming environment. I will discuss the strategies employed to create a work that was not only artistically novel, but also visually engaging and scientifically accurate.