Music as architecture: 3D-printed sculpture interprets Schumann’s Rhenish Symphony

An extraordinary project combines music and architecture through the innovative use of 3D printing. Artist Julia Koerner and project developer Andreas Vierziger, in collaboration with Berliner Philharmoniker Recordings and IFA 2024, have created a sculpture that brings Schumann’s fourth movement of his third symphony, known as the ‘Rhenish Symphony’, into tangible form. This project, called Frozen Music, interprets the architectural influence of Cologne Cathedral on Schumann’s composition and transforms this musical inspiration into a complex, three-dimensional sculpture.

At the centre is an algorithm that converts music into geometric shapes. This algorithm converts the musical structures of Schumann’s ‘Feierlich’ movement into an architectural design that echoes the shapes and profiles of Cologne Cathedral. Schumann himself was strongly inspired by a mass in Cologne Cathedral in 1850, which is reflected in the solemn and monumental mood of this movement. The sculpture designed by Koerner illustrates this connection through 3D printing and gives Schumann’s composition a visual dimension.

Julia Koerner and her team at JK3D developed the algorithm, which takes into account both the musical structures and the architectural elements of the cathedral. The profiles of the cathedral’s columns flow into the sculpture, while the ribbed geometric shapes reflect the dynamics of the music. This creates an innovative symbiosis of art, technology and architecture.

With Frozen Music, Koerner and Vierziger are breaking new ground by making the abstract art form of music tangible through technology. In spring 2024, the project was presented for the first time in cooperation with the Gävle Symphony Orchestra in Sweden. This special combination of music and architecture shows how versatile the use of 3D printing can be in the art world.