PROJECT
Feel the Sound
Sensorial Playground
An immersive exhibition at the Barbican Centre, exploring the emotional and sensory power of sound
How can we celebrate the physical and analogue expressions of sound culture?
Our exhibition design for the Barbican Centre’s Feel the Sound responded to this question by exploring how sound shapes our emotions, memories and sense of self. Moving beyond the purely auditory, the exhibition invited visitors to engage with sound as something physical and embodied — to feel it with their whole bodies.
Spanning multiple locations across the Centre – including, for the first time, its underground car park – the exhibition unfolded as a distributed journey through a series of distinct environments.
Comprising eleven interactive installations, the design encouraged active engagement, allowing visitors to move through the space at their own pace as each environment gradually revealed itself.
Rather than presenting sound as a fixed output, each installation invited participation — through movement, interaction, and spatial immersion. Visitors were encouraged to listen, explore, and respond, creating a more personal and intuitive connection to sound.
"Feel the Sound challenges us to see ourselves as sonic beings. Universal Design Studio have brought this vision to life, crafting environments that make it feel as though we’re hearing sound for the very first time." – Luke Kemp, Head of Creative Programme, Barbican Immersive
A consistent three-dimensional design language underpins the exhibition. Drawing on the faceted forms of speaker cabinets and the acoustic geometries of concert halls, sculptural elements shape both the spatial experience and the way sound is perceived. These forms act as both visual anchors and acoustic devices, making the intangible qualities of sound tangible.
Instead of isolating installations in separate rooms, we designed an open route with sound-insulated transitions that use white noise to create a kind of auditory palette cleanse. It’s a spatial tactic that relies on sound, not just sight.
"Feel the Sound proposes a new way to integrate sound into architecture - not merely as something to be managed but as an active, immersive layer that shapes and elevates our experience of space." – Paul Gulati, Director at Universal
The exhibition took visitors on a journey across the Barbican, from the entrance on Silk Street through The Curve and public foyers, to the Centre’s Lakeside terraces.
For the first time, the Barbican’s underground car parks were also activated as part of the experience, expanding the exhibition beyond traditional gallery spaces and unlocking new spatial and acoustic possibilities.
