Interpreting weather data is far from what might be considered artistic, but artist Nathalie Miebach is taking raw weather data and turning it into something truly beautiful. She weaves three dimensional basket-like structures that represent plotted numerical data taken from her observations of weather conditions and changes.

Rather than relying only on a set of sophisticated instruments, Miebach prefers to measure the interaction between weather and environment with her senses. She thinks of this type of measurement as a kind of listening with her peripheral consciousness. Her observations are included along with the scientifically-measured data in the finished pieces.

After the measurements are taken, Miebach uses strips of reed to plot the data points in three dimensions. She does no planning in advance, preferring instead to let the data dictate the appearance of the finished sculptures. She also avoids making adjustments to the data for the sake of aesthetics, meaning that the finished sculptures actually can be used to read weather data from a specific time and place – provided the reader knows the method to interpret the representations.

Once finished, the sculptures look like a bit like giant bugs or physical depictions of viruses. The shapes are distinctly organic, but completely alien. The weather data sculptures represent an entirely new way to look at weather information that has nothing to do with charts, graphs or smiling meteorologists with over-gelled hair.