Patrick Lyall

Data Artist & ResearcherTranslating the invisible systems of our world into felt experience.

I operate as a bridge between the laboratory and the gallery. Based in Cambridge, my practice combines scientific rigour with psychoacoustics to interpret complex datasets, from Arctic ice loss to circadian rhythms.As an interdisciplinary practitioner, I draw on methodologies from materials science, conflict analysis, and sonic journalism to give physical weight to abstract information.

Losing Ground

A data visualisation and sonification of Arctic Ice Coverage & Sea Levels (1980-2020).

Data Sources:
National Snow and Ice Data Center, Boulder, Colorado USA
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Current Research

SLEEP IN WARTIME UKRAINE

Status: Prototyping
Data Source: Open Science Framework
Stack: JavaScript, Logic Pro, Biometric Data
Abstract: A study of circadian rhythms under duress. Sonifying longitudinal sleep data from Ukraine to map the fragmentation of rest. The project translates the interruption of REM cycles into visceral sonic disturbance, visualising the human cost of constant alert.

CIVIL RESISTANCE ARCHIVE

Status: Active Investigation
Stack: Computer Vision, Processing (Java), Spectral Analysis
Abstract: A forensic sonification of civil unrest. This project documents the collision between state narratives and civilian reality, using computer vision and acoustic profiling to archive the 'invisible data' of protest suppression. A digital preservation of the erosion of civic space.

ALGORITHMIC EROSION

Status: Methodological Study
Stack: Processing (Java), Adobe Premiere
Abstract: A technical investigation into "algorithms of decay." Researching methods to degrade digital images programmatically to mirror physical melting processes. Applies pixel-sorting and recursive blur functions mapped to real-world melt rates.

About

Patrick Lyall is a Cambridge-based practitioner specialising in data sonification and digital media. His work focuses on the intersection of quantitative evidence and narrative, transforming static datasets into evolving, time-based compositions. Operating independently, he develops research-led projects that range from tracking environmental decay to archiving the human cost of geopolitical conflict.

Currently open to research collaborations and commissions.