Audiovisual Installation at ZKM's Biomedia Exhibition
Developed by Bernd Lintermann, Ludger Brümmer & Yasha Jain

Agents is an immersive audiovisual installation that simulates lifelike behavior using algorithmically controlled digital entities. These artificial creatures inhabit a shared virtual space where they interact not only with one another but also with visitors in real time, creating an emergent, dynamic environment that blurs the boundaries between natural behavior and artificial life.

Concept

The installation creates a living ecosystem of algorithmic "agents"—each with its own sensory framework, behavioral traits, and social tendencies. Visitors are tracked via a real-time camera system and can engage with the digital creatures through spatial movement. Each agent reacts differently: some are curious, others evasive or social. The result is a vivid choreography of autonomous behaviors that appear natural, yet are unmistakably artificial.

Agents questions the nature of intelligence and life by demonstrating how complex, lifelike behaviors can emerge from simple rule-based systems. Rather than relying on centralized intelligence, each creature acts independently, perceiving its environment through virtual senses analogous to sight and hearing. The installation transforms visitors into active participants in a generative system that continuously evolves based on their presence.

Spatialized audio enhances the experience: the location of both creatures and humans is made perceptible not just visually, but also acoustically, using a multichannel sound system that places sounds in real space.

Technical Write-Up

• Interaction System: Developed in Unity by Yasha Jain, the interaction system uses real-time camera tracking to detect and respond to visitor movement, enabling seamless communication between the agents and their human counterparts.

• Visual Design: The digital creatures were rendered using custom shaders, also designed by Yasha Jain, to give each agent a unique visual character while maintaining a coherent aesthetic across the environment.

• Algorithmic Behavior: Each agent operates autonomously using behavior models developed in collaboration with Bernd Lintermann, with sound designed by Ludger Brümmer. The system mimics real-world sensory perception through interfaces analogous to eyes and ears, allowing the agents to "see" and "hear" stimuli in their surroundings.

• Sound Spatialization: A multi-channel spatial audio system reflects the physical position of both agents and visitors in the environment, further enhancing immersion and interaction.

Context

Agents was exhibited as part of Biomedia, ZKM’s landmark exhibition exploring the convergence of biology, media, and artificial intelligence. The installation reflects ZKM’s ongoing interest in the aesthetic and philosophical implications of machine-generated behavior and artificial life forms.

With its layered sensory interactivity and richly generative system, Agents exemplifies a future in which algorithmic systems do not merely simulate life—but begin to behave in ways that evoke it.