Projects

War Up Close

Sphere of Sound

Abstract

Oorlog Dichtbij is an exhibition in Groningen’s Akerk. Immersive soundscapes support the stories by combining familiar human sounds with recordings of real WWII gear—contrasting intimacy and chaos to make the nearness of war deeply felt.

Description

Oorlog Dichtbij (War Up Close) is an immersive exhibition in Groningen’s historic Akerk. Through sound, image, space, and story, it brings visitors into the wartime reality of one square kilometer of the city—where history left its most personal marks. The exhibition commemorates 80 years of liberation with a focus on freedom, resistance, and the human cost of oppression.

The immersive audio concept is a core part of the visitor experience. At the center of the exhibition, an 8-minute quadraphonic soundscape plays in a loop. It guides the visitor through a timeline of war: from the initial tension to the chaos of battle, and finally, to the fragile relief of liberation. Authentic sounds of WWII-era vehicles, planes, and weapons were carefully sourced and positioned to contrast with intimate sounds like whispered fear, crying children, or church bells. This contrast evokes emotional proximity and invites visitors to feel the nearness of war.

In the sacristy, a separate 5-minute spatial loop captures the experience of Groningen’s blackout and curfew. The scene builds from eerie stillness to the panic of shelter-seeking civilians as British planes thunder overhead—heard flying west to east using spatial speaker placement—then returns to silence. This scene plays on repeat, forming a subtle cycle of tension and release.

The audiotour extends the experience. Visitors are guided through 10 spatialized stops using a binaural audio guide. Each stop gives historical background, contextual storytelling, and reflects on personal objects or photos in the space. In addition, five longer immersive audio stories—designed in a podcast-like format—are told by Harry, grandson of the church’s wartime sacristan. These pieces recount real events that took place in or around the Akerk: a hidden radio, secret weapon storage, a musical act of resistance, a spy, and the soldiers in the crypt.

The sound design is fully integrated with the exhibition’s spatial and visual elements. It does not overpower—it carries, reveals, and amplifies. Carefully mixed for clarity and emotion, it turns the visitor from observer to witness.