Danish science demonstrators Fysikshow know that explosions and fire are a, well, sure-fire way to get kids learning about science. To that end, they created the Pyro Board, an audio-visualizer made up of 2,500 bunsen burners. The board is an expansion of the Rubens’ Tube, a more simple row of flames that reflects standing sound waves.
“
When you put on more fire, it always gets better,” Sune Nielsen, a member of Fysikshow, told
science blogger Derek Muller
. Muller visited the scientists in Denmark to find out how, exactly, this pyro-magic works. On the Pyro Board, nodes and antinodes of sound waves create different levels of flame across the board, while every bass note lights a crazy campfire in the middle. Turning up the volume results in higher, brighter fire. The mind reels what would go down if one of these machines were hooked up with a Funktion-One soundsystem and a 3-hour set from someone like Goldie. Pyrotechnics and dance music can and should go hand-in-hand.
For more crazy sound visualization art see:
Glitch Mob's New Video Is An Extreme Close-Up Of Vibrating Water
Exhibition, "Personified," Allows Visitors To Turn Their Heartbeats Into Music