![[Take action on climate] Fracking and Me: Turning data into sound art for climate action](https://images.beamly.com/fetch/https%3A%2F%2Fd3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2Fpodcast_uploaded_episode%2F44464617%2F44464617-1761738263286-973995fd0b522.jpg?w=365)
What if we could feel the Earth’s response through sound?
Theme: Take action on climate
Topic: Science, nature & biodiversity
Language: English
In this episode, artist and climate geoscientist Dora Kovacs (AKT/vakström) introduces fracking as a destructive extractive practice linked to water contamination, methane emissions, and induced earthquakes.
Through her composition “Fracking and Me,” Dora transforms scientific data, seismic recordings, and testimonies from affected communities into an immersive sonic experience that blurs the line between science and art.
You’ll learn:
How fracking impacts ecosystems and communities beneath the surface
The power of sonification to translate scientific data into emotional understanding
How art can make complex environmental issues tangible, urgent, and human
Guest Bio:
Dora Kovacs, Artist, Geo-Scientist
Dora Kovacs is an independent artist and curator whose practice bridges the fields of music, science, and environmental awareness. With formal training in both classical music and the geosciences, her work investigates the convergences between sonic experimentation and scientific understanding. Kovacs’ artistic approach spans genres–from jazz and metal to contemporary classical and electronic forms–embracing experimental strategies that explore transformation, rhythm, and materiality. Drawing on her background in climate science, she integrates ecological thought into her curatorial and compositional processes, creating platforms that encourage critical reflection on human–environment relationships. Under her alias vakström, she runs a radio show, DJs, and produces electronic dance music, merging analytical precision with an embodied sense of sound and movement. Through her multidisciplinary practice, Kovacs cultivates a dialogue between art, science, and lived experience, highlighting their shared capacity for inquiry and change.
Sound track: https://aktmusicon.bandcamp.com/track/fracking-and-me
https://soundcloud.com/vakstroem
Host Bio:
Rozina Pátkai, Artist, University Lecturer
Rozina Pátkai is a Hungarian interdisciplinary artist based in Vienna, whose practice blends performance art, music, sound art, composition, education and activism. She creates experimental visual and new media works, frequently integrating film and cross-media strategies into her projects. As a university lecturer at the Hungarian University of Fine Arts, Pátkai teaches Sound and Performance, focusing her research on the intersection of fixed sonic forms and interactive environments. Her portfolio extends from experimental electronic live acts with poetic text interpretations to acoustic jazz performances of original compositions. In her work with live electronics and interactive installations, Pátkai reconfigures relationships between installation and audience, emphasizing dynamic feedback between space, sound, and participation. Her practice fosters multisensory engagement and challenges conventional boundaries in contemporary sound art. She maintains her artistic practice alongside her role as a parent to three children.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rozinapatkai/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rozinapatkai/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpM9gr7EoDl3vlxmg75KvaA
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/hu/artist/rozina-p%C3%A1tkai/685801433
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rozinapatkai?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc