Sound-reactive Light Installation at „Zero Abend Film und Musik“, Akademie der Künste Berlin, 2015

Simple Sample is a roughly one-square-meter light object: a diffusive panel lit by RGB-LEDs, driven by a self-designed circuit and software. Rather than running on fixed timing, the system listens. In random intervals, it samples incoming sound—translating its characteristics into rapid flickers of color, updating about 1000 times per second.

The result is a visual echo of sound, shaped by the chaos and rhythm of the source itself. The software is intentionally raw, unpredictable, and simple—just like the name suggests. But this simplicity holds space for complex, often surprising interactions between sound and vision. Music doesn’t just trigger light—it shapes its behavior. A jazz track will create a different mood than pulsing electronics, and each moment feels unique.

For its debut, Simple Sample was paired with the sound of Düsseldorf artist Pyrolator, creating a one-night-only synesthetic experience. The panel doesn’t strive for accurate representation—it’s not a “sample” in the traditional, technical sense. Instead, it explores what happens when feedback, randomness, and audiovisual perception meet.

Flickering, unpredictable, sometimes hypnotic—it’s a piece you don’t watch so much as you feel. Cameras won’t capture it properly; it lives in your eyes and ears. You don’t need to understand the tech. Just take it in.