FR/EN

city lights orchestra

a visual symphony for city windows

Antoine Schmitt

City Lights Orchestra is an visual symphony for the windows of the city.

At night, each computer connected to internet illuminates the window of the appartment or the the office, and blinks, pulsates, beats, fades in and out, each according to its own score, but in rhythm with all the others.

It is a fully participative installation. The inhabitants activate the symphony at home by simply displaying, on their own computer or connected TV, a web page which plays the visual symphony by blinking. They then orient the screen so that the blinking is visible from outside, so that their window is like a giant pixel.

Anyone can participate at anytime : the symphony is composed to accept an unlimited number of participants like a huge orchestra.

The whole city becomes the orchestra : both spectator and interpret of the symphony that is playing.

It is a global city experience.

Past Editions

• NOV12 : Share Festival, Torino (IT) - Award : Special Mention
• DEC12 : Ososphère Festival, Strasbourg (FR)
• MAR13 : Infecting The City Festival, Cape Town (South Africa) - City Lights Orchestra was part of the Infecting The City Festival in Cape Town (South Africa) from March 11th to March 16th 2013. There were two highlight events (facebook), on March 11th and March 13th at 9:15pm. The neighborhood of Church Square in downtown Cape Town was especially mobilized, and the inhabitants participated widely!
• MAY13 : MEDIACITIES Festival (Buffalo, USA)
• 20NOV13 : Saint Denis (93), Square de la Montjoie, organized by Synesthésie in the Festival NEMO.
(Page Facebook).
• MARCH 20 and 21 2014 from 7pm to 11pm in Mons (BE), in the rue de Nimy (neighbourhood) within the Festival VIA Mons 2014
• JUNE 7th 2014 : Albi (FR), organized by the Centre d'Art Le LAIT, within the Nuit Pastel
• NOV 21 2014 : Mulhouse, Quartier des Coteaux (FR), organized by La Filature
• 31 JAN 2015, Orléans (Quartier La Source), within Festival Orléanoïde
• 14 MAR 2015, Reims (the whole city), within Festival Nuit Numérique, with Centre d'Art St Exupéry
• 12 Novembre 2015, Strasbourg (FR), sur le Campus
• January 29th 2017 5:30PM : Tours Labourdette (Marseille, FR) and CHB (Berlin, DE)
• May 11th 2018 : HEAD - Mapping Festival (Genève, CH)
• April 22nd 2020 : the whole France - Seconde Nature / Zinc (FR)

Coming Editions

Press

Detailed description

city lights orchestra is an open visual symphony for the windows of a city : windows of houses and buildings in the city, and windows of the screens of smartphones in the streets.

City ensemble : Visual and totally silent but musical in essence, the symphony is a rhythmic, highly polyphonic, algorithmic and generative visual composition for potentially thousands of windows that blink, fade in and out, flicker, shiver, pulsate, etc.. all synchronously and across the whole city. Each window score is unique, but they are all in sync with each other, with patterns being developed across all the windows, and global events happening simultaneously everywhere.

Participative : Anybody with an internet connection can join the symphony at any time by just displaying the citylights orchestra.net web page in their browser. This page immediately plays the visual score, by blinking black and white, etc... By turning their browser full screen and turning off the lights of the room, the screen of the computer illuminates the curtains, walls and ceiling and it is seen from outside through the window, which becomes a giant pixel. People in the streets can also point their smartphones to the same web page and use their phone as a personal light instrument. Anyone can join in and leave at anytime : the score is composed to be open to any number of interprets.

Composition : The composition is also open in time, as it is written through a generative algorithm that creates new movements and forms forever, following an initial musical DNA. The dynamics of the beats and blinks originate both in musical structures and in organic rhythms.

Timeframe : The symphony is designed to be played during specific large public events, like Nuits Blanches or festivals, which can gather a large number of participants thanks to a strong communication.

Experience : By letting everyone be part of the global composition, city lights orchestra creates a strong sense of belonging and empathy among the inhabitants. It is also very playful, while still questionning each and everyone on his or her place in the great system of the city.

The whole city becomes spectator and interpret of the symphony. It is a global city experience.

How to

City Lights Orchestra in Cape Town has been made possible with the support of the French Institute of South Africa.

IFAS