Whether in everyday objects or digital media, sound is an elementary component of design. The exhibition Pling! Sound and Design shows how sounds shape our perception and how listening as a design method opens up new, more inclusive approaches.
From the alarm signal to the media player, design conveys to users that some things make a particular sound. Because we also hear with our eyes and see with our ears—both senses working in tandem.
The “soundtrack” of objects or digital interfaces is thus deliberately designed. Noises direct our gaze, whether on the street or in a film. Acoustics determine the shape of a room or an entire landscape. Sounds arouse emotions and memories, jingles can inspire trust and recognition in advertising and branding. But what is behind the sound waves that produce all these sounds? Bioacoustics, Sound Studies, and artistic research investigate what tone, sound, and noise actually are—and what they mean for society.
The exhibition renders audible and visible what often resonates unconsciously in everyday life, showing how the inclusion of auditory perception opens up new, more inclusive approaches to the world. From silence in a soundproofed room to absolute euphony in the Listening Room, hearing as a design task and method can be experienced in a variety of ways.
