Deutschherrnbrücke bridge reopens after renovation – sound technology renewed
Frankfurt. – After eleven months of closure, the Deutschherrnbrücke footbridge is open again – and with it Frankfurt's only sound art installation in the Green Belt. "Sonic Vista", designed in 2011 by sound artists Bruce Odland and Sam Auinger specifically for the bridge, underwent technical revisions during the closure. One of the spherical loudspeakers, visible from afar, has been replaced and the sound technology has been updated – an intervention at a lofty height above the Main River. Climate Councillor Tina Zapf-Rodríguez sees this as more than just technical maintenance. She says the work is a "highlight of the Green Belt circular hiking trail in the middle of the city" and sharpens the sense of hearing. Anyone standing on the bridge can feel the special nature of the place – the fusion of city panorama and sound. The name says it all: "Sonic Vista" – a sounding view. In the middle of the bridge, the view takes in the skyline and the river, while a transformed stream of ambient sounds can be heard from two spherical loudspeakers. Resonance tubes on the underside of the bridge, microphones and signal processing filter and harmonise what the city produces anyway: the rhythm of trains thundering by, snippets of conversation, wind. The red speaker, tuned to F sharp, mainly emits sounds from the north bank, while the blue speaker, tuned to B, emits sounds from the south bank; together they form the interval of a fifth. The distorted tones are vaguely reminiscent of didgeridoos, without drowning out the real background noise.
Sam Auinger fine-tuned the acoustics on site with the new loudspeaker sphere. "This is where the city condenses: the view of the skyline, the rhythm of the trains, the river, urban life along the Main. Nothing stands still – and so 'Sonic Vista' also changes over time," he says. Since the work was created, the soundscape has changed: the construction of the European Central Bank, later the harbour park – all of this once shaped everyday life. Today, quieter, more subtle sounds can be heard on the north side. "When I stand on the bridge and listen, the city begins to speak – not as noise, but as a multi-layered tapestry of sound."
The work has also inspired other art forms. Video artist Bennett Encke has made several films that combine the sounds of the bridge with day and night views of the city. Physicist Werner Lorke was responsible for the implementation of the installation and continues to maintain it; "Sonic Vista" was financed by the GrünGürtel project group. In the context of "Art in the Green Belt", the installation plays a special role. Alongside the now numerous objects of "comic art" and other striking installations – from the Green Sauce Monument to the Graffiti Gallery – it is the only sound art work in the ring of parks and open spaces surrounding the city. Precisely because the location is visually striking, the project aims to give hearing its own significance.
Anyone who wants to explore the bridge with their ears and eyes can do so around the clock. The Deutschherrnbrücke can be reached by underground line U6 (Ostbahnhof stop) or tram line 11 (Sonnemannstraße); from there, it is only a few minutes' walk to the Main.
