STUDIO HERRSTRÖM, FOUNDATION THREE, and NOCS collaborate at Vienna Design Week to present The Resonance Space — a multi-sensory installation that transforms sound, surfaces, and scents into a shared medium for collective discovery and connection. Set inside the festival headquarters, the installation invites visitors to go beyond passive listening and immerse themselves in a space where sound is not just heard, but felt and shared.

The journey begins as visitors enter a former auto repair office which was transformed into an intimate listening environment by interdisciplinary design studio FOUNDATION THREE. Acoustic foam panels shape both the seating and walls, while ferns, stones and bespoke lightning soften the industrial setting. Inside, brand design studio STUDIO HERRSTRÖM guides visitors through an unfolding audiovisual narrative that is shaped by sound from different cultures, that abstractly expresses their design philosophy, THE ECHO™. The sonic landscape is carried by NOCS’ Monolith speaker, a Swedish-engineered audio system that delivers every sound detail with precision.

As visuals, music, scent, and surfaces merge, the experience shifts from individual to shared, capturing collective effervescence: the heightened emotional energy people feel during a cultural moment of unity. Positioned as a “third place,” The Resonance Space invites visitors to listen and feel together, blurring the boundaries between self and others. At its core, it poses a simple but resonant question: When has sound connected you with others? The installation invites reflection on how music, voice, or ambient sound can dissolve distance and (re)create human connection.

The Resonance Space also considers those for whom touch is essential to experiencing culture. Marking the 200th anniversary of Braille in 2025, tactile elements, including Braille caption panels developed with the Vienna Institute for the Blind and the Austrian Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired, have been integrated into the installation, with both organizations generously reviewing the materials. The dot motif in the visual identity is furthermore inspired by the visual component of Braille, inviting those who do not read it to engage with its graphic beauty. It reflects a belief that resonance should be accessible to all.

The Resonance Space explores resonance as a shared experience, where sound and perception shape who we are and the spaces we share. It celebrates listening as a collaborative act and a catalyst for new perspectives, revealing how culture is reshaped when experienced together. As the boundaries between human and machine continue to blur, the installation invites us to reclaim something innately human: the ability to feel deeply, and to feel together.