Beat it!

"Music connects people" – guided by this principle, we created an instrument as an intervention in public space for the 4th district. The goal is to build a "mediator object" that encourages different people to interact and communicate through shared musical experiences. As verbal communication can be difficult due to various barriers, the city xylophone offers an alternative path: through shared play and spontaneous interaction, it creates a natural connection between players and passersby.

It is designed to spark curiosity through sound and appeal to the inner child, making it accessible and engaging for all age groups.

"beat it" is a city xylophone with 8 different tones. The pitch is determined by the length of the plates. The sound character also depends on the material being played. The softer the material, the duller the sound; the harder the material, the brighter and louder the tone.

A major challenge was making the material (UHPC = Ultra High Performance Concrete) resonate.
Due to its fine aggregates and high density, UHPC is acoustically very unresponsive. This meant that the acoustic decoupling had to be designed with precise attention to detail. The chosen material had to allow enough vibration for sound generation while still providing adequate support to carry the weight of the plates.