ZKM “resonate” - an interactive light and sound installation

The sound persists – the exhibition “Sound Art. Sound as a Medium of Art” continues to draw a large crowd. As of 8 September, a further installation will enrich the exhibition: sound strings, stretched and illuminated, draw in visitors to the ZKM_Subspace; the spatial composition “resonate” allows visitors to experience in a unique way this unity of form, light, and sound.

The installation “resonate” consists of several kilometers of sound strings and eight interactive bodies containing a total of 1600 controllable LED lights. When the strings are plucked, the tension and the vibration of the ropes changes, thus generating new sounds. The surfaces become the communication level and interact with the installation. Because this takes place in a constant flow, an arrangement is created in which visitors take on an active influence. Rhythm and variance, like in music, are essential components of the installation “resonate”. Through the change in the design parameters based on the controls, it was possible to develop a complex, three-dimensional spatial structure in which form, light, and sound build a unit. The installation is illuminated through video-enabled LED lights in combination with black light. The 1600 individually computer- controlled Capix-LEDs make visible the acoustic resonances of the strings on eight objects.

The interactive light and sound installation “resonate” is a project of the master study course in interior design “Kommunikation im Raum” at the Mainz University of Applied Sciences and was winner of the Luminale 2012, one of Germany’s most prominent architecture and design festivals.


The opening takes place of 7 September 2012, at 7:00 p.m.

Further information to “resonate”: www.resonate.iamainz.de