How AI and a Superstar DJ are Transforming Visits at the Museum Barberini

At Museum Barberini in Potsdam, Music Walks pairs Impressionist paintings with compositions by Henrik Schwarz. The soundtrack changes as visitors move through the galleries, making listening part of how they encounter the collection.

Developed in collaboration with renowned composer and DJ Henrik Schwarz and supported by the Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI), Music Walks leverages AI to create dynamic, real-time soundscapes. Visitors strolling through the museum encounter a soundtrack that evolves in harmony with the artworks they view, transforming the traditional museum visit into an immersive, personal journey.

The project explores how a soundtrack shaped by a visitor’s movement can offer a different encounter with Impressionist art.

At the Digital Exhibitions Summit, Carolin Stranz and Stefan Scholze from Museum Barberini shared the vision behind Music Walks.

Blending Impressionist Art with Immersive Sound

The Museum Barberini boasts 115 Impressionist masterpieces, one of the largest collections outside France. These works capture fleeting moments through light, colour, and movement.

Music Walks enhances this sensory experience by introducing AI-generated soundscapes that mirror the emotive qualities of Impressionist music. Composer Henrik Schwarz has crafted musical motifs that respond to the thematic flow of the galleries.

Through the Barberini App, these motifs adapt in real-time, creating an evolving, location-specific soundtrack tailored to each visitor’s movements.

McCord Stewart Museum’s Mental Maps offers another artist-led response to a historic collection, using imagery and visitors’ shadows.

The result is an ambient, layered experience that deepens the emotional impact of the artwork.

How movement changes the soundtrack

At the heart of Music Walks lies the synergy between Bluetooth beacons, smartphone sensors, and AI-powered sound processing. This innovative approach ensures every visitor’s journey feels unique:

• Beacon Technology: Tracks a visitor’s position within the gallery.
• Smartphone Sensors: Detect movement speed and direction.
• AI Audio Engine: Adjusts tempo, volume, and effects in real-time.

This integration transforms a static tour into an interactive, sensory-rich experience, offering visitors a personalised musical journey through Impressionist art.

Music Walks gives the visitor’s movement a role in the composition. Schwarz supplies the musical material, while the system changes how it is heard as people move through the galleries. That relationship between an authored score and a responsive listening experience is central to understanding the project.

What visitors reported

Unlike conventional audio guides, which often deliver pre-recorded narration or background music, Music Walks dynamically adapts to each visitor’s journey.

The soundscapes evolve organically, responding to movement and location.

Stranz and Scholze reported that visitors described the experience as ‘transportive’ and ‘deeply moving,’ with some spending longer in galleries simply to enjoy the interplay of art and sound.

The project invites audiences to slow down, observe, and connect with the artwork on a more personal level.

Looking Ahead: AI and the Future of Museums

The success of Music Walks offers a glimpse into the future of museum exhibitions. AI has the potential to:

• Enable Hyper-Personalisation: Tailoring content to individual preferences and behaviours.
• Enhance Multisensory Engagement: Integrating sound, space, and visuals for deeper emotional connections.
• Expand Accessibility: Adapting experiences in real-time for different visitor needs.

As technology advances, the possibilities for creative, Artificial Intelligence driven museum experiences are limitless.

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This article is based on the presentation, “Keeping permanent collections eternally attractive: Barberini Music Walks”, by Carolin Stranz and Stefan Scholze from Museum Barberini at the Digital Exhibitions Summit 2024 organised by MuseumNext.