Knowledge in Place - New Objects, Spaces, and Interactions for Knowledge Sharing in Museums

Museums are more than just places for sharing knowledge – they offer immersive, one-of-a-kind experiences and serve as important social spaces for connection and community-building.

They allow visitors to discover new perspectives, engage in dialogue, and explore knowledge in meaningful and inspiring ways. At the same time, museums are increasingly challenged to remain relevant in a world where information is often accessed digitally and in decentralized ways.

Expectations around learning have shifted significantly in recent years. People now seek more personalized, interactive experiences and the freedom to dive deeper into topics that interest them. They want content that responds to their individual needs and allows for self-directed exploration. So, what does this change mean for museums and their role as spaces of learning?

One thing is clear: museums offer a unique environment where knowledge, culture, and history can be experienced in immersive ways. The challenge now is to redefine how these spaces are used. How can museums respond to changing visitor behaviors and create innovative experiences that combine the benefits of physical presence and guided learning with digital possibilities and personal interests?

These are the questions we will explore in our project. Our aim is to develop new scenarios and interaction concepts for the museum space. What kinds of tools, formats, and approaches can we bring into museums? How can we guide visitors while offering opportunities for individual discovery and personal connections? And what completely new experiences could we create to foster dialogue and human connection within museum settings?

Our ideas might involve emerging technologies such as XR (Extended Reality) or AI-based systems. But equally interesting are analog concepts focused on new spatial or furniture designs that encourage interaction.

In all cases, the holistic museum experience must remain central. Physical interaction with objects is a defining feature of the museum and one of its key strengths. The addition of digital content must be handled with care to avoid overwhelming visitors. This calls for a sensitive design approach that carefully adapts interaction patterns, information architecture, and interfaces to meet evolving expectations.

In terms of learning, multi-sensory interaction offers huge potential – especially when it involves physical objects and tangible interfaces. Using our hands to interact not only enhances spatial and haptic perception but also supports deeper cognitive engagement, as touch and movement are closely linked to how we think and learn. Physical interfaces can also communicate information on multiple levels—going beyond visual and auditory input to include touch and movement.

To ensure our concepts are grounded in reality, we’ll collaborate with the Klassik Stiftung Weimar. At the beginning of the course, we’ll travel to Weimar to explore Goethe’s Residence and the Goethe National Museum as our case study. Throughout the project, we’ll receive expert input and feedback from staff at the Klassik Stiftung. At the end of the course, we’ll present our final outcomes in Weimar.

A key part of the course is turning ideas into tangible prototypes. Shortly after our Weimar visit, we’ll spend three days in Sauen – the art academy’s rural retreat – for an intensive concept development workshop. This will give us the chance to experiment early, sketch ideas, and begin building first prototypes. Alongside this, we’ll offer a series of workshops and skill-building sessions focused on prototyping tools and design research methods.

The project team includes Rike Glaser (Design Research), Simon von Schmude (eLab), Robin Rutenberg (XR Lab), Jörg Hugo (Rapid Prototyping), and Yolanda Leask (Concept Writing).

This project is supported by the Cluster of Excellence »Matters of Activity«.
Important Dates

Wednesday, April 30 – Excursion to Weimar
May 7–9 – Intensive workshop in Sauen
Wednesday, May 14 – Expert session with Klassik Stiftung (Weißensee)
Wednesday, May 28 – Concept presentation (Weißensee)
Wednesday, June 25 – Design presentation (Weißensee)
Thursday, July 31 or Friday, August 1 – Final presentation in Weimar

Links

https://www.klassik-stiftung.de/startseite/digital/
https://www.matters-of-activity.de
https://interaction.kh-berlin.de