The rich, musical inheritance of Leipzig, combined with a vivacious present, is the center of attraction for travelers from all over the world. A unique artwork of light and music now allows Leipzig, the City of Music, to be experienced in New York City. Philippe Morvan, the French light artist and Mike Dietrich, the Leipzig musician, created the installation „25 Her(t)z”: The nearly five-meter high sculpture consists of 128 character cubes and connects emotion and information as a real experience in public space. Like a crossword puzzle, visitors can discover the names of Leipzig’s numerous composers and musical institutions. Short podcasts and compositions offer information on the musical diversity of Leipzig and invite one to linger and listen. In the evening, dynamic light and color effects and a sound collage, based on the works of the most significant Leipzig composers, Bach, Mendelssohn, Schumann and Wagner, attract numerous visitors and generate a fascinating atmosphere.

The project was developed on behalf of the Leipzig Tourism and Marketing (LTM) GmbH. The campaign “Simply Saxony” from the government of the Free State of Saxony is the official sponsor and partner of the project “Leipzig, City of Music Plays NYC”.

Philippe Morvan began his career as a scenographer at the Théâtre National Populaire in Lyon, France. Later he worked at the Opéra du Rhin in Strassbourg. After he had also been active in cinema production and events, he has, in the last few years, concentrated on light creations in public spaces.

For the Leipzig Tourismus und Marketing GmbH, he developed, for example, his lighting sculpture „8m3” for the Leipzig Book Fair in 2011, and the „Cosmogole” project in 2013 to mark the 100th anniversary of the Monument to the Battle of the Nations.

Mike Dietrich is a Leipzig DJ, musician, producer and composer. In the 1980s, he started as one of the first hip-hop activists in the break dance scene in Leipzig, at that time representing a culture between every day socialism and state surveillance. Soon he started composing and producing his own songs. He has worked with, amongst others, Herbie Hancock, Saul Williams and Xavier Naidoo. He has already produced many exciting sound collages for Leipzig’s annual Festival of Light.