Exhibition sound design shapes how visitors move through space, how they perceive content, and how an exhibition is experienced over time. It structures attention, creates orientation, and connects individual elements into a coherent whole. Exhibition sound design refers specifically to the application of sound within exhibitions and museums.
WHAT IS EXHIBITION SOUND DESiGN
Exhibition and museum sound design describes how sound is used within exhibitions and museums to support spatial orientation, narrative structure, and visitor experience.
It extends beyond individual media stations or isolated audio tracks. Instead, it considers the exhibition as a continuous environment in which sound unfolds across rooms, transitions, and zones.
This includes multichannel sound systems, localized audio, acoustic zoning, and the relationship between sound, architecture, and content.
SOUND AS STRUCTURAL LAYER IN EXHIBITIONS
Sound can define how an exhibition is read.
Through carefully placed sound sources, acoustic zones, and transitions, sound can guide visitors without explicit instruction. It can connect separate exhibits, create focus, or introduce rhythm into how a space is experienced.
Sound can support moments of concentration or create distance between areas. It can make complex content more accessible by structuring how information is encountered over time.
In this way, exhibition sound design becomes part of the overall spatial and narrative structure.
APPLICATIONS IN MUSEUM AND EXHIBITION DESIGN
Exhibition sound design operates across different scales and formats.
Gallery-wide sound environments
A continuous sound layer connects multiple rooms and creates a coherent spatial experience across the exhibition.
Localized sound and media stations
Targeted sound sources ensure clarity and focus at individual exhibits without interfering with surrounding areas.
Interactive and adaptive sound systems
Sound responds to visitor movement, interaction, or environmental conditions, creating a dynamic relationship between audience and space.
FROM EXHIBITION SOUND DESIGN TO SOUND SCENOGRAPHY
Exhibition sound design forms a central part of our broader approach to sound scenography.
While exhibition sound design focuses on clarity, orientation, and spatial structure, sound scenography extends this into a compositional and dramaturgical practice. It integrates sound with narrative timing, interaction, and the emotional development of a visitor journey.
Learn more about sound scenography.
SELECTED PROJECTS
Examples of exhibition sound design in our work include:
Haus der Geschichte, Bonn
A comprehensive sound concept for a large-scale permanent exhibition. A continuous sound environment connects over sixty exhibits, supported by modular compositions and integrated interface sounds.
Forschungswand, Humboldt Forum Berlin
A kinetic installation with overlapping narrative layers. Sound supports spatial navigation and allows multiple perspectives to coexist without conflict.
Luxembourg Pavilion, Expo 2025
Three distinct exhibition spaces shaped through sound. Composed and interactive environments define different modes of engagement across the visitor journey.
HOW WE WORK
Exhibition sound design requires a close integration of concept, composition, and technical design.
We develop spatial audio systems in relation to architecture, content, and visitor movement. This includes multichannel setups, loudspeaker strategies, acoustic zoning, and adaptive or interactive behaviors where required.
The result is a spatial structure that unfolds over time and responds to the conditions of the space.
