The Urban Lightguide

The Urban Lightguide by Rnul (Rob Donkers and Aart Muis) is an interactive artwork created especially for the opening of the eighth edition of Rotterdam’s Museum Night on March 7, 2009. The work invited the audience to compose their own symphony of urban sounds simply by directing four powerful 1200-watt spotlights onto various elements in and around the Schielandhuis.

When a spotlight hit a specific point, a sound fragment was activated — the pounding of a pile driver forming a beat, a crying baby adding melody, the cooing of a pigeon setting the groove, and the rumble of a truck engine providing a deep bass line. Together, visitors composed a rhythmic, musical portrait of the city. The total interactive area covered 825 m² within a 70-meter radius of the light sources.

The project was presented during Museum Night under the theme “RE:”, which aimed to provoke reactions from the audience. The official opening was performed by Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb.