The sounds of design objects are often as characteristicas their shape. So what does the dial on a telephone set or the engine of a car sound like? Experience the sound of objects from our exhibition using your own mobile phone or tablet PC by activating the Sound of Design web app.

We are adding sounds to our collection so as to integrate the acoustic dimension of our exhibition items into our presentation.
By publishing this archive in our Web-app it will form part of the multimedia experience visitors can enjoy while also infusing life into objects that might otherwise seem remote museum pieces. By way of introducing “Sound of Designˮ we are launching a topical focus on the era of the economic miracle (1950s/1960s), in which new electrical devices and with them diverse sounds entered people’s everyday lives.

Sounds range from the ringing of old telephone sets to the specific engine sounds of iconic autos to the clicking of typewriter keys. At present, the app includes 49 exhibits from the exhibition “Sound of Design”, and there are up to five different sounds for each. Visitors can compile their favorites in a playlist and also download all the sounds free of charge for private use.

The goal of the Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek (DDB) is to offer everyone unrestricted access to Germany’s cultural and scientific heritage, that is, access to millions of books, archived items, images, sculptures, pieces of music and other sound documents, as well as films and scores, from all over Germany.
As a central, national portal, the DDB is aiming to bring together and network digital content from all of Germany’s cultural and scientific institutions.

As the first design museum, Die Neue Sammlung has recently also been archiving and presenting the tones and sounds of the objects on display.

The presentation is supported by:
PIN. Freunde der Pinakothek der Moderne e.V.

The app was realised with the support of:
IKEA Stiftung