A very unusual concert was happening on Rudolfplatz in Cologne: design students of the Köln International School of Design were the musicians in a concert with instruments that usually would rather belong into the category »home appliances«. Instead of playing violine, piano and clarinet, the students operated washing machines (here you can listen to the concert).

The orchestra had a real conductor and a DJ (an exchange student from Brazil) who all mixed the different types of used washing mashines with a background music. Not an easy task and for the spectators it was not easy to find and seize the harmony – but also the work of John Cage was not understood in the beginning. The chosen place for the event did not make it easier: the concert took place on Rudolfplatz, a very frequented square in the center of Cologne. So the organizers faced problems of technical nature and of course accoustical ones as the loudspeakers did not only have to fight against the sound of traffic but also against the pouring rain that wanted also to participate. But planned as public intervention it had of course to take place in a public space.

So – what has all this to do with design? For Prof. Dr. Michael Erlhoff there are two important points: firstly the concert carries the aspect of teamwork – of making music and coordinating a group following a precise score. And secondly Sound Design is of growing importance and not only car companies do take care about how their objects sound. Also producers of washing machines have to concentrate on the »music« of their appliances. That is probably why the PR department of Miele decided not to get involved into the project. The managers were scared to damage their reputation producing high quality (and so of course silent) machines.

Possibly it was a good for the concert not to use Miele machines. It might have been ways harder to produce sound with modern and silent machines – high-end microphones would have to been used to catch up those slimsy sounds. So in fact the students involved only used machines that were donated and that they reconfigured to achieve a better noise output. But still it’s frightening how which unhumorous way big corporations try to keep up their perfect coporate image.

Listen to the concert here on ROGER LiVE. Also there is a picture gallery of the concert. Only in German comes a TV report from a local media publisher.