An art project called the “Dinosaur Choir” in Texas and Canada allows people to hear what prehistoric animals may have sounded like, using 3D-printed instruments that mimic the dinosaurs’ vocal apparatus.
Artist and musician Courtney Brown from Southern Methodist University in Texas, along with industrial designer César Gajewski from the University of Alberta in Canada, developed the “Dinosaur Choir” project, where each instrument in the orchestra is styled after a specific dinosaur.
The first member of the choir is the Corythosaurus, a herbivore from the Late Cretaceous period with a prominent crest on its head. Scientists hypothesize that the animal could have produced deep, loud sounds by blowing air through this crest to attract mates or warn of predators.
The instrument recreating the Corythosaurus’s voice was made with a 3D printer and includes a digital vocal apparatus and a speaker. A camera and microphone capture the user’s lip vibrations and movements, altering the sound as it passes through the dinosaur’s “crest.”
The next dinosaur planned for the project is the Ankylosaurus, an armored dinosaur with a vocal apparatus similar to that of a bird.
“Our goal is to create an entire dinosaur choir that becomes a social music experience, bringing together music, science, and technology,” Brown noted.
The project has already gained recognition in the art world and is attracting attention from science and music enthusiasts globally, offering a unique look into prehistoric life and the evolution of animal sounds.
