In the 20th century, giants of modernism such as Iannis Xenakis – born 100 years ago this month – and Karlheinz Stockhausen proposed new interpretations of the 19th century concept of Gesamtkunstwerk (total work of art). Relying on the latest technologies in the field of sound, light and automation, and often developed in close collaboration with architects, their revision of the total work of art entailed an open set of experiences admitting no privileged viewing position or single message.