Exhibition Design for Autostadt Wolfsburg: 100 Years of Carl H. Hahn
Biography becomes tangible through space, graphics, and interaction
On the occasion of Prof. Dr. mult. Carl H. Hahn's 100th birthday, Designliga developed a comprehensive exhibition concept for the Autostadt Wolfsburg at the ZeitHaus. On around 200 square meters, spatial dramaturgy, original exhibits, exhibition graphics, audio, and interactive elements combine to create a lively experience.
The exhibition makes personal milestones, entrepreneurial decisions, and visionary ideas understandable and emotionally accessible. It not only tells a biography but also shows how a single life path is connected with the development of Volkswagen, international mobility, and social change.
Information design for an extraordinary life path
A central element of the exhibition design is an expansive timeline that makes Carl H. Hahn's extraordinary life path and his international stations visible. Places, points in time, and milestones combine into a deliberately dense and dynamic graphic.
What seems almost overwhelming at first glance reveals, upon closer inspection, the enormous scope of his work: the multitude of his fields of activity, the geographical dimension of his biography, and the connection of personal, economic, and contemporary historical developments.
Thus, complex information design becomes a narrative exhibition element – and a life path becomes tangible that did not follow a straight line.
Biographical Exhibition Design in Space
The tour begins with a scenographic approach to Carl H. Hahn. Visitors symbolically enter his office—staged with original furniture, personal items, and historical documents from the Autostadt archive.
This authentic introduction creates closeness to his person and forms the dramaturgical starting point of the exhibition. From here, the spatial narrative of his life, his international career stations, and his entrepreneurial activities unfolds.
Photographs, quotes, books, awards, memorabilia, and audio elements make visible the encounters, decisions, and visions that have shaped Carl H. Hahn's life path.
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Interactive Exhibition Design for Mobility and Change
The conclusion of the exhibition tour is a deliberately contrasting idea space. While the biographical part is characterized by a muted blue color scheme and a dense historical staging, the bright yellow room with its clear, reduced design creates a visible break.
Here, the focus is forward-looking. Communication design, exhibition graphics, and interior design reflect Carl H. Hahn's forward-thinking and translate it into an activating environment.
At an interactive idea wall, visitors record their own thoughts on mobility, innovation, and social change. Thus, the exhibition expands from mere knowledge transfer to a participatory dialogue space where personal visions of the future become visible.
Farbgeschichten - Autostadt
