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Exhibition space at Museum Folkwang in Essen, measuring 573 cm × 652 cm
About the Project
“Is This The Sky?” is a conceptual group project developed for the Museum Folkwang’s exhibition on travel. Using visuals and research-driven storytelling, the installation explores the emotional and environmental contradictions of air travel. By presenting facts about travel and its environmental impact, the project invites reflection on how we move through the world and whether change is needed.
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Final implementation
A Collective Reflection on Travel and Impact
“Is This The Sky?” is a spatial exhibition concept developed by a team of eight students in the Brand and Communication Design program at AMD Akademie Mode & Design. It was created as part of the museum exhibition “Ferne Länder, ferne Zeiten” at the Museum Folkwang in Essen. The brief: create a visual and immersive experience that explores the role of travel today, with a focus on sustainability and awareness.
Together with my teammate Matea Caleta, I was responsible for building the research foundation. While our research, one statistic shaped our approach early on: approximately 150 planes take off every minute. This figure highlighted both the vast scale of global mobility and its environmental cost, grounding the project in real-world urgency. We worked closely across disciplines to turn this insight into an emotional, multi-sensory experience. Our group combined animation, sound, spatial design, and interaction to develop a unified narrative. The sky became our central visual metaphor, symbolising both freedom and impact. Its openness represents the emotional draw of flying, but also becomes the surface on which human activity leaves visible marks.
The exhibition guides visitors through a gradual shift. An initial projection of a calm blue sky slowly fills with white contrails, illustrating how countless flights leave their trace. The sky’s colors deepen into warm orange hues, referencing both beauty and change. These visual transitions are supported by an airport-style information board that presents key aviation statistics in a familiar, accessible format. The display scrolls continuously, making the data feel active and present. A final message asks: “How do you want to travel in the future?” In the final section, visitors are invited to share whether they plan to rethink their flight habits. This interactive moment reinforces the idea that change begins with awareness and conversation.
“Is This The Sky?” does not preach, but opens a conversation, inviting every viewer to pause and reconsider the invisible weight of our everyday choices.
