Axis Communications has teamed with Forsman & Bodenfors, the Gothenburg, Sweden-based ad agency, to create what’s billed as the world’s first object detection orchestra. Together, they turned video surveillance cameras, powered by AI, into fully playable instruments, showcasing the creative potential of surveillance technology like never before.
The experiment reimagines Richard Strauss’s “Also Sprach Zarathustra”–best known from 2001: A Space Odyssey–not with violins and horns, but with tennis balls, a coffee cup and a fire extinguisher. As the objects move through the surveillance cameras’ field of view, AI-based analytics transform them into notes in real time, turning what used to be passive observers into responsive instruments.
“This experiment shows how far we can push our technology. It’s also a very illustrative way of showcasing how it works. Turning surveillance cameras into instruments–and building an orchestra–proves that the same systems designed for security can also create something completely unexpected,” said Malin Lindgärde, director, brand and communications at Axis Communication.
The piece was arranged by Swedish producer Jonas Quant and performed by four musicians playing four cameras simultaneously. Instead of keyboards or strings, different areas in the camera view were programmed to trigger singular notes or sequences–creating invisible instruments played in mid-air.
“In a category where technology is usually invisible, we wanted to create something you can both see and hear. Axis already delivers outstanding tech–but by pushing it in an unexpected direction, we show the creative potential that exists when you take surveillance beyond security,” said Thomas Bennett, creative at Forsman & Bodenfors.
The object detection orchestra blends art and engineering in equal measure, showcasing what happens when creative storytelling meets cutting-edge technology. It’s surveillance–re-scored.
This film introducing us to the object detection orchestra was directed by Felix Scheynius of Scandinavian production company New-Land.
