Sound and Synaesthesia. A holistic perspective to exhibition design

The evolution of technology, the advent of new cultural media, and the societal changes of recent years have significantly transformed exhibition design. This discipline focuses on crafting complex narratives involving the design of relationships between space content, and audience by leveraging the possibilities offered by new media and interactive tools. Synaesthesia is a crucial yet often overlooked phenomenon in sound design, where auditory stimuli interact with visual, olfactory, and tactile element that enhance visitor experiences. This cross effects and emotional responses, shaping audience perception in meaningful ways. For instance, synchronising sound with lighting reinforcing the immersive qualities of an environment. The qualitative research conducted as part of the PhD thesis of one of the authors and of a project on ‘Sound Design and Cultural Heritage’ funded by the included literature reviews, case study research and fieldwork through semi interviews and focus groups of professionals and scholars incorporate multi-dimensional, synesthetic and h These are also valuable means to address accessibility issues. Focusing particularly on the sound dimension in its interrelation with the other senses, we developed three methodological tools to guide a holistic d two complementary conceptual tools (sound narratives canvas and sound narratives notation) and a design tool (exhibit sound score). These and development of sound spatial design, and multimodal approaches into multisensory and interactive narratives.