DESIGN SOUNDS

An exhibition about sound and design 2001

Before you read any more, close your eyes and listen for a few seconds...

What you heard were sounds from our world.
A designed world, full of form, function, feeling, smell and sound! Design Sounds is about the role of sound in our experience of design. Design Sounds depicts the processes of and thoughts about sound and design.

The exhibition

Design Sounds is about the role of sound in design. Design not only concerns function and appearance – it is also about sound – something which so far has not been much discussed in a design context. But with our increasing everyday use of technology – such as alarm clocks, microwave ovens, hairdryers, computers, cars, tools, toys and mobile phones – sound is becoming a more and more important part of design.

This exhibition aims to awaken interest in the sounds around us and to encourage the development of a better sound environment.

Read articles and exhibition texts:

DESIGN SOUNDS PDF text catalogue (240k)

Click right (PC) or Alt-click (Mac) and "save as"

More texts

Auditory Interfaces, PDF (48k)
Dan Gärdenfors

How can sound feedback improve human-machine interaction? This essay aims to serve as a theoretical introduction to auditory interface design.

DESIGN SOUNDS

The Design Sounds exhibition has been shown at the Swedish Society of Crafts and Design (Svensk Form) center, Skeppsholmen, Stockholm from 30 March–13 May , at Danish Design Center, Copenhagen in summer 2001 and at Röhsska museet, Göteborg in spring 2002.

Teaching materials will be available for the exhibition, and will include sound aerobics, primarily for students at the middle and secondary school levels.

Design Sounds is produced by the Swedish Society of Crafts and Design (Svensk Form).
Project manager: Christina Nilson-Dag, Svensk Form
Exhibition and graphic design: Jonas Lindkvist Design AB
Texts: Anders Emilson, Mikael Strömberg

The exhibition is supported by the Foundation Culture of the Future and the Swedish Council for Cultural Affairs.