Scientific Storyteller

Science and baskets filled Nathalie Miebach’s childhood. Her father worked for the European Space Agency and surrounded the family with photographs of outer space. Her mother, a basket weaver, filled their home with baskets.

Miebach, who was born in Germany and moved to the United States when she was 12, says that this early exposure to art and science informed how she thinks about the world. Today she transforms scientific data into sculptures, paintings, and even musical scores. Miebach’s work is analytical, but she considers herself a storyteller. “When I’m building a sculpture with data,” she explains, “I’m really building a story.”

Nathalie Miebach grew up surrounded by science and baskets. Her father worked for the European Space Agency, and her mother was a basket weaver.

Miebach was born in Germany. She moved to the United States when she was 12 years old. Today she transforms scientific data into sculptures, paintings, and even music. “When I’m building a sculpture with data, I’m really building a story,” the artist explains.

Miebach’s work is often driven by weather data. She gathers information about ocean temperatures, cloud cover, and more to learn about a particular time and place. Many of her works track data during and after hurricanes, including her 2016 She Casts Her Circles Wide, on the cover. It examines data about Hurricane Sandy, which devastated much of New Jersey’s and New York’s coasts in 2012.

Recently, Miebach has been working on a series about the Swainson’s warbler. This rare species of bird sometimes makes its home in areas that have been destroyed by tornadoes.

The artist’s 2025 Bird Sirens, above, presents data about the birds’ migration patterns and weather conditions where it lives. Miebach incorporates birdlike forms and stylized houses. Red and blue lines curve throughout the sculpture, like a spinning cyclone. These details tell a story about the birds.

Miebach often uses weather data about ocean temperatures, clouds, and more. One example is her 2016 work She Casts Her Circles Wide, on the cover. It shows data about Hurricane Sandy, which hit New York and New Jersey in 2012.

Miebach recently created a series about a rare species of bird called the Swainson’s warbler. The bird often lives in areas that have been destroyed by tornadoes.

The artist’s 2025 Bird Sirens is above. It shows data about migration patterns and weather. Miebach uses stylized forms that look like birds and houses. Red and blue lines swirl through the sculpture like a tornado.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Miebach explored weather data in Boston, where she lives. Her April 2020: Weaving Weather During Quarantine, above, is a visual representation of cloud cover and temperature in the city in one month.

The artist’s works are visually complex, but it isn’t always obvious that they’re based on data. “I’m luring the viewer into these pieces through the lens of play, through these colorful elements,” she explains. Miebach says people will then “begin to realize that the visual chaos is actually based on numbers.” Those numbers tell a story about daily life during a period in our collective history.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, she studied weather data in Boston. As a result, she made April 2020: Weaving Weather During Quarantine, above. It’s a visual representation of cloud cover and temperature in Boston that month.

“I’m luring the viewer into these pieces through the lens of play,” she says. Then people will “begin to realize that the visual chaos is actually based on numbers.”

In 2009, Miebach realized that weather instruments are a lot like metronomes— devices that mark time in music. The artist doesn’t play an instrument or read music, but she decided to experiment with music as a way to represent data and tell stories.

After Miebach makes an artwork, a composer interprets it as a musical score. Two composers might interpret the same work differently, which is what happened with her 2019 sculpture above. The Ghostly Crew of the Andrea Gail represents a boat that sank during a 1991 storm. One composer created a rhythmic score based on wind data. Another focused on the emotions of people at home waiting for a ship that never arrived.

Can you find details in this sculpture that represent data? If not, look closer. “When you look at my work,” Miebach says, “I want you to become a detective.”

In 2009, Miebach realized that weather instruments are a lot like metronomes. Those are devices that mark time in music. She decided to experiment with music as a way to tell stories with data.

First, Miebach makes an artwork. Then a composer interprets it. Two composers might interpret the same work differently. The Ghostly Crew of the Andrea Gail, above, shows a fishing boat that sank during a storm. When looking at it, one composer created music based on wind data. Another focused on the emotions of people waiting for the ship to come home.

What details in this sculpture might be based on data? “When you look at my work, I want you to become a detective,” she says.