The 101 Plays Itself

Meet The 101 Plays Itself

The 101 Plays Itself turns traffic-camera footage from Los Angeles into a musical performance in the browser. Cars crossing detection zones on the freeway trigger notes, while their lanes, movement, and apparent length influence the resulting sound. Visitors can choose a camera and combine different instrument voices, including theremin, glass, piano, strings, and percussion.

The page shows the traffic alongside listening statistics and explains how the vehicle detection works. Audio is synthesized as the footage is analyzed, making the changing flow of traffic part of the composition. A recorded-camera fallback is available when the live feeds are offline. The project is freely accessible as an interactive listening experience and a demonstration of turning everyday movement into music.