Interactive exhibition – „Herrschen – Beherrschen, Sprache beherrschen“

Herrschen — Beherrschen, Sprache beherrschen

The Mission

We hear, we speak, we think. A large part of our social life is language and communication. But how can we make words understandable, visualize them and make them tangible? Our goal was to make thoughts visible, to express feelings and to focus on communication. We brought these requirements to life in an interactive exhibition, with a lot of conceptual and manual work in the implementation phase. As part of the exhibition series „Herrschen – Beherrschen, Sprache beherrschen“ we dedicated ourselves to this cornerstone of human coexistence.

Client

Kornhaus
Schwäbisch Gmünd

Role

Strategy and Conception
Project Management
User Experience
User Research
User Interface Design
Prototyping

Duration

Implementation 12 weeks (2012)

The exhibition was part of a exhibition series on the topic of „Herrschen – Beherrschen“, which took place from March 23 to May 20, 2012 in the Kornhaus in Schwäbisch Gmünd.

Challenge

The task was to conceive and design an exhibition on the theme of „Sprache beherrschen“ (Mastering speech) as part of the 850th anniversary of the city of Schwäbisch Gmünd. The exhibition was to be part of a three-part exhibition series of the phenomenon „Herrschen – Beherrschen“ (Rule – Dominate), which was organized by the Gmünder Kunstverein. For the exhibition period, the university was given the opportunity to present itself in this context in the Galerie im Kornhaus. The aim of our project was to develop a coherent and consistent concept on the theme of mastering language. Interactivity was to play a significant role. The visitor should not be a passive spectator, but rather be involved as an active participant and be transported into another world. In addition, planning had to be done on a low budget.

Method

Design Thinking

Focus

We asked ourselves the following questions throughout the process to iteratively develop, test, and discard ideas based on the design thinking process. How might we design exhibits for this exhibition that are quick to implement, cost effective, and have the highest value for our visitors? How might we create a memorable visitor experience with a great user experience? Based on the design thinking process, we determined the best possible benefit and always checked the solution.

Solution

The exhibition shows language in its syntactic, semantic and pragmatic dimension. Signs as visual representatives of language are staged under analytical, didactic or technical aspects. Language is described as a system consisting of a number of different signs. As part of life and society, language forms structures. It separates and connects. It uses and is used. It communicates and conceals. One thinks, says and means. One hears and sees and is amazed, delighted and saddened.