en.Wedoany.com Reported - At the "Opera Night" gala, the Zurich Opera House presented the first Opera House Award to the team of "Female Classics," a 3D-printed sculpture designed based on applause, rather than a traditional trophy or statuette.
Unlike other art often inspired by intangible concepts, this award directly transforms audio into a physical structure. The design process was pioneered by Austrian designer and artist Julia Koerner, whose work sits at the intersection of technology, art, music, and architecture. In 2024, she created a 3D-printed piece based on the fourth movement of Schumann's Third Symphony (itself inspired by the iconic Cologne Cathedral). In the latest iteration, titled "Frozen Music," Koerner used a recording of applause from the Zurich Opera House's performance of Strauss's comic opera *Der Rosenkavalier*. She fed the audio into custom computational software, which generated a 3D model based on the acoustic patterns of the applause (considering the amplitude and variation of clapping), resulting in a highly textured sculpture reminiscent of the motion of hands during vigorous applause and the noise of celebration. As Koerner's team stated, these sculptures "embed the transient energy of a performance into a physical structure."
In developing the award, Koerner again collaborated with curator Andreas Vierziger and the Zurich Opera House. Vierziger was also a partner on the original "Frozen Music" sculpture. "At its core, 'Frozen Music' explores the transformation of sound into form," said Koerner. "Using advanced computational design methods, the project interprets the nuances of musical expression—its intensity, rhythm, and character—into complex geometries realized through 3D printing. Drawing on architectural design processes, the sculpture embodies the fusion of art, music, and technology." Koerner, also the founder of JK Designs GmbH and JK3D, previously collaborated with award-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter on 3D-printed props and costumes for the Marvel film *Black Panther*, and has explored 3D printing in products such as glass vases and coral-inspired jewelry.
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