Laurenz Theinert is a photographer and live performing light and media artist. With his unique instrument, the ‘Visual Piano,’ he creates visual compositions that are shown around the globe – including in Toronto, São Paulo, London, Sydney, Berlin, New York, and Singapore.
At the heart of his work is the idea of image-free vision: his visual works deliberately break away from representational references and instead strive for an abstract, reduced aesthetic. The desire for radical dematerialisation led him from classical photography to light as an artistic medium.
Together with software developers Roland Blach and Philipp Rahlenbeck, Theinert developed the ‘Visual Piano’ – a MIDI-based image instrument that allows him to play light in real time and thus visually shape time and space. The performances are neither pre-programmed nor rigid: in open dialogues with musicians, complex light compositions emerge in the moment, immersively and expansively permeating the space.
Through 360° panoramic projections, Theinert creates a form of visual music – abstract, lively, immediate. There is deliberately no technical coupling between sound and image in order to enable a spontaneous and intuitive exchange between sound and light. The rigid boundaries of the space are lifted and transformed into a dynamic visual experience that is perceived through movement, rhythm and structure.
Laurenz Theinert does not simply create images – he designs light as language, space as instrument, time as composition.
1963
born in Hanover
1985-92
studies at the State Academy of Fine Arts, Stuttgart and Leicester University, GB
since 1992
light/sound/space performances, light installations, photography
2008-09
curator TRESOR – space for ephemeral art
2025
Light, Atmosphere, Space, Hochschule Offenburg
2016
Department of Art and Design, Beijing University of Technology
2015
Light, Atmosphere, Space, HAWK Hamburg
2014
Light, Atmosphere, Space, University of Stuttgart
2013
Individuality – Creativity – Innovation, University of Stuttgart, interdisciplinary key qualifications
2009
LightLab, Design Academy Eindhoven
2008-11
Experimental Design, Folkwang University of the Arts
2006
Staging of contents, HdK Burg Giebichenstein, Halle
2001
Professorship at the State Academy of Fine Arts Stuttgart
2001
Presenting with New Media, HdK Burg Giebichenstein, Halle
1996
Perception and organization of creative processes. HdK Burg Giebichenstein, HallA
2018
Kavalierhaus Scholarship Langenargen
2011
MuVI3 Award for synaesthetic media art
2010
Fotosommer Stuttgart, Award Show
2009
VBKW Promotion Award
2008
Visual Music Award
2007/08
Artist in residence, Fermynwoods Contemporary Arts, GB
2006/07
Studio grant Künstlerhaus Stuttgart
»Missing Darkness«
Solo exhibition, Museum Ritter, Waldenbuch
»Licht Klang Raum«
Audiovisual concerts, EVI Lichtungen, Dom zu Hildesheim
»visual piano«
LUNA Leeuwarden (NL)
»Le Noir de L’Étoile«
Audiovisual concert, Klanghaus Festival, Stadthaus Ulm
»Extraschicht«
Audiovisual concert, Duisburger Philharmoniker, Lehmbruckmuseum Duisburg
“The Liberation of Form”
Light and sound concert with Fried Dähn (cello), Lehmbruckmuseum Duisburg
“Glitter & Poison”
Light and sound concert, Staatsgalerie Stuttgart
“Pas de Deux”
Light-sound-concert with Claudia Janet Birkholz (piano), Realtime Festival Bremen
“The Ligeti Experiment”
Light-sound-concert with the SWR Radio Symphony Orchestra
„The Awakening“
Light installation, Svetlobna Gverila, Ljubljana, SI
“Sonic Ocean”
Audiovisual perormance on noise pollution in the oceans
“What the stones tell”
Videomapping about the building history, day of the monument, Esslingen
“Transformations”
Light-sound concert with Dominik Sustek, International Music Days Paderborn
“Licht und Lichtbild”
Solo exhibition photography and light installations, Galerie Abt Art, Stuttgart
“In a New Light – Mozart Requiem”
Music Festival ION Nuremberg with the Eliott Quartett
“Art & Beats”
Museum for Concrete Art Ingolstadt
“The Union is our God”
Video overlay to the composition by Anselm MacDonell, with the London Symphony Orchestra, U.K.
“Fantaisie Harmonique”
Music video to the composition by Jason Nobel, with McGill University Montreal, CA.
“One Minute Audiovisual Joy”
Online music video project, Municipal Gallery Lüdenscheid, Germany
“The Awakening”
Light installation, Gallery AK2, Stuttgart
“Hegel Machine”
Light installations, Museum Hegelhaus, Stuttgart
“Apparition”
light-sound-installation, Reelkirchen
“at.mur.at”
Multimedia performance, Steirischer Herbst, Graz, with Josef Klammer and Seppo Gründler
“3 times 3”
Light-sound-performance with Günther Reger, art museum Heidenheim
“The Sonographers”
Light / sound performance with Fried Dähn, Kunststiftung Erich Hauser
“21st Century Guitar”
Ottawa, light-sound concerts with Steve Cowan, Jason Noble and Adam Cicchillitti
“hammerhaus feat. vocal tribe”
LWL Museum Münster
“Zappa plays for Bach”
St. Katharinen, Hamburg with Napoleon M. Brock, Chris Garcia,Gabriel Coburger and Fried Dähn
“Digital Poetry”
Whitebox, Munich with Martin Stortz, piano
“Diffusion”
light-sound-performance, with R. Seiliog, ffotogallery Cardiff, GB
“visual piano”
light-sound-performance, with Daniela Savoldi, Treviso, IT
“Polar Weeks”
Multimedia installation, German Maritime Museum, Bremerhaven, Germany
“Places without intention”
Light installations, Kunsthaus Kloster Gravenhorst (solo exhibition).
“Diffusion”
Photographs ‘Time Shift’ and ‘Before the Content’, ffotogallery Cardiff, GB
“visual piano”
Light-sound performance, German Embassy Podgorica, MNE
“LUNA”
Light-sound performances, Leeuwarden, NL
“In Taro’s World”
Light-Sound-Concerts with the SWR Radio Symphony Orchestra
“Collumina”
Light-Sound-Performance, with Lukas Pearse, Chocolate Museum Cologne, Germany
“Pianotopia”
Light-sound-performance, with Chris Geisler and Kurt Holzkämper, Theaterhaus Stuttgart
“Klang Raum Zion”
Light-sound-performance, with Dominik Sustek, Zionskirche Berlin
“Colour Space”
Svetlobna Gverila, Ljubljana, SI
“Ornamental Hermit”
Kavalierhaus, Langenargen (solo exhibition).
“Colour Space – Seeing”
Espacio Fundación Telefónica, Lima, PE
“Cidneon”
Light-sound performance, Brescia, IT
“Dreaming our Woods”
multimedia theater, Corby, GB
“Responsive”
Light-sound performance with Lukas Pearse, Hallifax, CA
“Camp Festival”
Light-Sound Performance, Sofia, BG
“Colour Space – Seeing”
Frost Museum of Sciences, Miami, US
“SEE Djerba”
Art in Context Project, Houmt Souk, TN
“Beauty Broken”
Light-sound performance, with Shasta Ellenbogen: Viola, Stadthaus Ulm
“Space Unfolding”
audiovisual improvisation environment, with Trondheim Voices, whitebox, Munich
“Interference”
light-sound-performance, Medina Tunis, TN
“Colour Space – Seeing”
Science Gallery, Dublin, UK
“Ascents”
Light installation Jacob’s Ladder, international light art festival Kulturregion Stuttgart, Germany.
“Lichte Tiefe zwischen Raum”
Kunstverein Ludwigsburg (solo exhibition)
“tracing_OS”
a performative search for traces of Oskar Schlemmer with Eva Baumann, dance and Klaus Janek, sound; Bauhaus Dessau and WKV Stuttgart
“Alles Licht”
Municipal gallery ada, Meiningen
“Die Planeten – Faszination Universum” Liederhalle Stuttgart, with the SWR Radio Symphony Orchestra
“Wall of Light and Sound”
Light and sound concert with Paul Fox and Lisa Berg, Sur dam, Esch, LU
“visual piano”
unpainted media art fair, Munich, light / sound performance with Fried Dähn and Thomas Maos
“Ich GLAUBE nicht – Ich GLAUBE schon”
Landestheater Tübingen, with Thomas Maos and Silvia Pfänder
“Die Welt, das Staunen und die Bilder”
Aalen Art Association, with Eva Schmeckenbecher and Gerhard Schabel
“Der instabile Raum”
Gallery Z, Stuttgart (solo exhibition)
“I See Europe”
art district, Stuttgart
“visual piano”
Tallinn Light Biennale, EE
“Klang und Licht”
Gallery AbtArt, Stuttgart, light / sound performance with Wolfgang Dauner, piano
“Recode Revolution”
Museum of Art Lucerne in cooperation with Lucerne-Festival, with Nils Fischer, CH
“visual piano”
Koktebel Jazz-Festival, Kiev, UA
“visual piano”
Jerusalem Light Festival, light / sound performance with Tuna Pase, IL
“visual piano”
Mapping Festival, Geneva, light / sound performance, CH
“Naturstücke”
Gallery Bildkultur, Stuttgart
“Stuttgart 21 – 21 Künstler aus Stuttgart”
Gallery Tobias Schrade, Ulm
“Bring to Light”
Brooklyn Greenpoint light / sound performance, New York City, US
“live cinema”
light / sound performance, with M. Barella and T. Rohrer (sponsored by Goethe Institut), Sao Paulo, BR
“sprachlos”
Museum Ritter, Waldenbuch, light / sound performance with Scott Roller
“ilight Marina Bay”
Light / sound performance with Axel Hanfreich, Singapore, SG.
“In C” (Terry Riley)
Württemberg Philharmonic Orchestra Reutlingen
“Fotosommer Award Show”
Württemberg Art Association
“Duell”
with Gert Wiedmaier, Art Association Aalen
“Kein Bildnis machen”
Ephemerals, Zeppelin Museum Friedrichshafen
“Neue Arbeiten”
Gallery Bildkultur, Stuttgart
“smartlight”
light / sound performance, with Axel Hanfreich, Sydney, AU
“Glow” Eindhoven
Light / sound performance, with Axel Hanfreich, NL
“Entschleunigung”
Art Space Academy of the Diocese Rottenburg Stuttgart
“VBKW Promotion Award”
photography, video, light
“light night walk”
Fermynwoods Contemporary Arts, GB (solo exhibition)
“Dialog der Generationen”
Forum Concrete Art, Erfurt
“Kontakte” Stockhausen
German Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Bremen
“visual … piano”
Kazantipfestival, Crimea, UA
“collision”
light / sound performance with Axel Hanfreich, London, GB
“hammerhaus”
WKV, Stuttgart, light / sound performance with Axel Hanfreich, Gino Robair
“klangbild – lichtton”
Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, light / sound performance, with Martin Stortz, piano
“Fotografie konkret – konkrete Fotografie”
Kulturspeicher Würzburg, concrete photography since 1945
“Lichtbild, Lichtraum, Lichtspiel”
Nürtingen Art Association (solo exhibition)