At TAUCHER, we’ve always seen space as more than a backdrop. For us, space is alive—an emergent phenomenon where sound, movement, light, and material interplay to create something greater than the sum of its parts. This perspective shapes how we approach sound design and how we think about exhibitions, scenography, and the environments we craft.

Our understanding of space begins with a simple yet profound insight: space is not a neutral container for objects and activities. It is something we co-create through perception, interaction, and imagination. This idea has far-reaching implications, especially for exhibition-making and scenographic practices, where the goal is not merely to fill a room but to activate it—to allow space itself to become a storyteller, a medium, and an experience.

Sound as a Producer of Space

Sound and space are deeply intertwined. At its core, sound is not just an auditory phenomenon in space—it is spatial, and it makes space. It shapes how we perceive distance, depth, and atmosphere, constructing meaning and interpreting our environment. A single sound can transform a room, turning it from a neutral environment into an intimate chamber or a vast, resonant void. Besides its factual information like spoken word, the spatial qualities of a sound—its direction, texture, and movement—add meaning and evoke emotions, memories, and even physical sensations.

In exhibition-making, this interplay between sound and space opens up new possibilities. Consider how a carefully designed soundscape can guide visitors through an exhibition, creating transitions between themes or drawing attention to specific objects. Or how the acoustics of a space—its echoes, reverberations, and silences—can amplify the emotional impact of an installation. Or how a single tone can reframe the visitors‘ experience and turn the space’s narrative in a different direction.

In The Speaking Museum at Roter Haubarg, for example, we activated a historical space by bringing to life artifacts that are usually quiet and static in a museum context. In the granary, an expansive sound sculpture creates the impression of voices emerging from the very material structures of the tools. These sounds don’t just fill the space—they transform the way visitors perceive the historical building and its narratives, lending it a new sense of presence and intimacy.

At TAUCHER, we work with sound not as an add-on to space but as a fundamental element of its design. We think of sound as space—a medium that structures how people move, feel, and connect within an environment.

Atmosphere and Immersion

One of the most exciting aspects of working with space is its ability to create atmosphere. The atmosphere is what makes a space feel calm, tense, playful, or sacred. It’s not a single element but a composition—a synthesis of the objects‘ sound, light, material, and movement. The medium between the things and the perceiving bodies. As Gernot Böhme suggests, atmosphere is both sensorial and emotional. It’s something we feel before we think, something we share with others in the same environment.

In scenography and exhibition design, atmosphere is a powerful tool. By shaping the sensory qualities of a space, we can influence how people experience it—whether they feel drawn in, intrigued, or reflective. Immersion, often touted as the hallmark of contemporary exhibitions, is not simply about overwhelming the senses. It’s about inviting people to lose themselves in the moment, to become fully present in the space.

At the museum Roter Haubarg, we designed an audible presence that responded to the visual staging of ordinary tools. As characteristic individuals, the voices of the flail, the butter churn, and the haystack—among many more—are floating the stage as they come together each hour and share their histories in one of the four 20 minutes lasting stories—not to mimic realism, but to build a sense of lived atmosphere.

At TAUCHER, we strive to create spaces that are immersive not because they are loud or dazzling but because they resonate—because they invite people to engage with them deeply and personally.

Space as a Medium of Storytelling

Every space tells a story. This story is not just about what the space contains but about how it is arranged, how it feels, and how it invites people to engage with it. In this sense, space itself becomes a medium of storytelling—a way of communicating ideas, emotions, and narratives, with and without words.

In our work, we approach space as a relational construct. A museum gallery, for instance, is not just a room filled with objects. It is a dynamic field where architecture, objects, sounds, and visitors interact. How the objects are placed, how the sound moves through the room, and how people navigate the space—all of these elements contribute to the story the space tells.

In The Speaking Museum, multiple sonic layers unfold as visitors explore the exhibition space. The creaking beams, non-verbal comments such as laughter, personal interactions with individual objects, the wind moving through the thatched roof, a cow banging on the gate from the outside, and the constantly renewing generative composition of the sound sculpture intersect to form a spatial narrative that can only be grasped through bodily presence and attentive listening. No text labels or wall graphics present information, but the space itself is the story.

By treating space as a medium, we can create exhibitions and scenographic installations that are not just seen or heard but experienced in their entirety.

Implications for Design

This understanding of space has profound implications for design. It challenges us to think beyond the auditory or the visual to consider how all our sensations, like sound, touch, and movement, contribute to spatial experience. It also pushes us to think holistically, recognizing that every element of a space—its materials, acoustics, lighting, and spatial layout—shapes how people perceive and interpret it.

In scenography, this means designing not primarily for the eye but for the whole body. It means creating environments that are not static but dynamic, that respond to and evolve with the people who inhabit them. In exhibition-making, it means thinking of the exhibition not as a collection of objects but as an experience—a journey through a series of interconnected tangible and intangible spaces that evoke curiosity, emotion, and reflection.

An Invitation to Rethink Space

Ultimately, our work at TAUCHER is an invitation to rethink what space can be. By treating space as an emergent, relational phenomenon, we open up new possibilities for design. We move from asking, „What is space?“ to asking, „What can space do?“ This shift allows us to approach each project with a sense of curiosity and care, exploring how space can connect, inspire, and transform.

So the next time you step into a space—an exhibition, a theatre, or even your living room—pause for a moment. Listen. Feel. Notice how the sounds, textures, and movements around you shape your experience. That is the space we aim to create: not a static backdrop, but a living, breathing medium where sound, light, and material come together to tell a story.

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Written by Johannes Scherzer