We managed to rouse people’s interest in technology by involving them in an emotional experience that could only be created through the creative interaction of technology and art.

But the buzz we created will also inspire creative people from within “the scene” to harness the creative power of technology, no matter their field, and to break new ground.

As the involvement of the guests was of particular importance to us, we went beyond turning their personal smartphones into a digital canvas for the colours of the hacked Richter window. Via their IP addresses, they actually influenced the music and the play of colours themselves.

In order to provide a musical accompaniment to the hacking of the window, we brought together three internationally acclaimed artists. Prof. Dr. Winfried Bönig (cathedral organist), Gregor Schwellenbach (composer) and Damian Dziwis (digital artist) composed an innovative piece of music inspired by the 11,263 squares of colour of the Richter window. Out of this we then created an impressive digital play of colours via a control system developed especially for the interpretation of MIDI signals from the organ and distribution to the smartphones.

In a second part we created music using the IP addresses of the smartphones and came full circle with synchronous colour effects based on the organ’s MIDI signals.