This article was originally published on May 14,2014 but we think it still rocks!

In an ongoing series that stretches as long as some vistas, multidisciplinary artist Barbara Bartos uses a mechanical music box to transform paintings of landscapes into sweet melodies. With her Soundscape Instrument, Bartos can translate the heights of Toffia, Italy into a serene summer-time tune. After painting detailed accounts of her travels, Bartos perforates each gouache according to the prevailing features of its landscape: a Finland forest, gets punched through the contours of its greenery and tree trunks, a watery depiction gets perforated along the coastline.

Once a piece is perforated, it is run through the laser-cut plywood box, creating a type of painting-score you heard earlier (and which reminds us of this  science kit ). Soundscape Instrument. Finland: Archipelago Barbara Bartos Vimeo

The project consists of seven landscapes-scores, but will grow as Bartos explores new spaces. It’s important to note that Bartos doesn’t just see this project as a travel diary, but as a translation project, “one that reveals an unexpected synchronicity not only between visual and audible perception, but also between nature and culture.” We don’t know about you, but we want to “hear” the landscapes of van Gogh and Monet. 

To learn more about the artist click here.

Related:

A 2,000-Marble Instrument Sounds Like a Synth for the Apocalypse

Introducing the Yaybahar: an Acoustic Instrument that Makes Space Age Sounds

This Light Installation Lets You Play a Building Like an Instrument