🌱 What happened

Over two days, we invited passersby to become part of a "living instrument." Participants held hands to form a closed circle, and through touch and movement, spontaneous sounds and unscripted melodies emerged. Using the Playtronica device, physical connection was transformed into a collective sonic experience.

Groups ranged from 2 to over 10 participants. Some stayed for a few minutes, others lingered longer, and some were drawn in by curiosity when they heard the sounds being produced. Children, adults, and elderly people all joined in and found a joyful moment of connection. They interacted with one another and were remarkably creative in the way they engaged with sound.

💡 What we learned

Touch is a universal language. In an area where linguistic and cultural diversity could sometimes create invisible barriers, the act of holding hands became an emotional bridge for shared experiences without the need for a common verbal language. It was moving to see how quickly strangers became collaborators.

Low-threshold formats work. We deliberately kept the barrier to entry low: no registration, no prior knowledge, no performance pressure. This allowed people who might never enter a gallery or a concert hall to participate and experience the joy of making and enjoying melodies freely.

Collective music-making could bring happiness, even just so simple. The melodies that emerged were never planned. They were messy, sometimes funny, sometimes surprisingly beautiful. But they were always ours. The joy on participants' faces was the most rewarding outcome of all.

The children were especially excited to interact with one another; they were incredibly creative, touching flowers, each other's faces, and even water.

Some participants enjoyed taking their time to explore and compose their own sounds and melodies.

🙏 Acknowledgements

We are deeply grateful to Architects For Future e.V. to host and organize the Action Week, to Roter Baum e.V. for supporting us with technical equipment, and to the artists Adam Page and Eva Hertzsch for their kindness and for connecting us with their project Klassenzimmer der Zukunft, which is also located at the Alice-Salomon-Platz. Without their generosity, this project would not have been possible.

We also thank everyone who stopped, listened, held a hand, and let a story begin.

🎶 What’s next

The format is highly replicable. The melodies generated by participants could be collected and archived, forming a living playlist of the sounds of Berlin’s people.
The sample of the collected sounds from this action will be processed and published soon.