On floating objects and the craftsmanship behind them.
An ancient vase. A historic tool. A sparkling piece of jewelry from centuries past. Freely positioned in space. Without visible support. Without any discernible connection to the wall behind or the floor below. In a well-crafted exhibition, the exhibits appear to float freely in the room. As if weightless. Only upon closer inspection do you notice it: the object mount.
This is no coincidence, but the result of careful decisions made long before opening day—in workshops, over light tables, with bending tools in hand. The best object mount is the one that goes unnoticed. One that conforms so closely to the object that it virtually disappears. Not because technique does not matter, but because it is applied with such precision that it recedes into the background.
Nothing should distract the viewer's eye
Harry Hauck, object scenographer with over thirty years of experience in the design, planning, and realization of international museum exhibitions, defines the objective of any object mount as follows:
“Objects in a display case and in an exhibition are the protagonists of a narrative in the museum. It is about history and stories. When viewing them, this narrative should be perceived clearly, as should the object itself. The viewer's eye should be able to wander, immerse itself in bygone eras, discover and explore, observe the structures on the object, and examine its specific material qualities. Therefore, nothing else should distract the viewer's eye.”
There must be no disruption during viewing—not from lighting, not from surface impurities, not from texts positioned too closely, and certainly not from the object mount itself.
This may sound obvious, but it is not. A mount that meets this standard must simultaneously hold securely, adapt individually to the artifact, and reveal as little of itself as possible from the front. These three requirements exist in constant tension, and resolving them is a master craft.
The objective formulated by exhibition designers is a physical impression: the floating object. An exhibit that seems to exist in the open air of its display case. Free and without visible connection to the world behind it. This impression is not created by magic, but by millimeter-precise engineering.
What lies behind the floating effect
Clemens Kritzer, mountmaker and object installer at ADAPTIV Exhibition Setup Vienna, describes his approach to achieving this goal: size, weight, geometry, and material are the primary criteria he evaluates upon first inspecting an object. These determine which mounting solution is feasible. However, what is permissible is not decided by the mountmaker or installer alone.
“The conservation team usually defines what I can touch and what I cannot,” says Kritzer. For delicate or exceptionally valuable exhibits, this means every object is evaluated individually. Together, designers, conservators, and mountmakers determine the contact points for support, which materials may come into contact with the artifact, and how the mount should function and appear. Sometimes an installation sketch is produced and approved before a single wire is bent. The mount is therefore not merely a technical aid; it is the result of a collective interdisciplinary decision.
The KLIO Mount System was developed specifically for this methodology. A modular mounting system that adapts individually to any exhibit while simultaneously meeting both conservation and aesthetic requirements. The guiding principle behind it: as strong as necessary, as delicate as possible.
Special objects require specialized solutions
The floating effect is easier to achieve when the object is small, lightweight, and regular in shape. The true quality of a mounting system, however, becomes evident with irregular geometries, fragile materials, multi-part objects, and exhibits that demand substantial technical support while revealing as little of it as possible.
Take an insignia with a ribbon, for example. The metal and textile present completely different requirements. The claw supports the metal medallion, but the ribbon requires a dedicated solution—it may only be contacted using silicone tubing and soft padding, must be presented at the same height, yet must not hang unsupported. What appears to be a simple object becomes, in practice, a complex multi-stage task.
The same applies to bulky or heavy exhibits. Here, stronger support rods are deployed, but the principle remains identical: what is visible from the front is reduced to an absolute minimum. The load is transferred to the rear anchoring point. The object itself continues to appear weightless in space.
The hidden art of object mounting
A well-designed exhibit mount does not draw attention. It is present, it carries, it holds, it protects—yet it never places itself in the foreground. The goal is to minimize one's own presence so that the final result appears almost imperceptible. Yet behind it lies a dedicated process demanding extensive experience and technical craftsmanship. Those who look closer will recognize the decisions involved: the selected diameter, the angle of the object relative to the back wall, and the chosen contact protection isolating the mounting metal from the exhibit. In some projects, the silicone tubing typically used for this purpose is selected in anthracite rather than its standard translucent finish, ensuring that even this final detail does not interfere with the viewing experience. Creating an appropriate object mount is, in its own right, a hidden art form.
The KLIO Mount System is a modular mounting system for professional object installation in museums and exhibitions, developed by ADAPTIV Exhibition Setup Vienna in close collaboration with object scenographer Harry Hauck, Berlin.
The hidden art of museum object mounting
On floating objects and the craftsmanship behind them.
An ancient vase. A historic tool. A sparkling piece of jewelry from centuries past. Freely positioned in space. Without visible support. Without any discernible connection to the wall behind or the floor below. In a well-crafted exhibition, the exhibits appear to float freely in the room. As if weightless. Only upon closer inspection do you notice it: the object mount.
This is no coincidence, but the result of careful decisions made long before opening day—in workshops, over light tables, with bending tools in hand. The best object mount is the one that goes unnoticed. One that conforms so closely to the object that it virtually disappears. Not because technique does not matter, but because it is applied with such precision that it recedes into the background.
Nothing should distract the viewer's eye
Harry Hauck, object scenographer with over thirty years of experience in the design, planning, and realization of international museum exhibitions, defines the objective of any object mount as follows:
“Objects in a display case and in an exhibition are the protagonists of a narrative in the museum. It is about history and stories. When viewing them, this narrative should be perceived clearly, as should the object itself. The viewer's eye should be able to wander, immerse itself in bygone eras, discover and explore, observe the structures on the object, and examine its specific material qualities. Therefore, nothing else should distract the viewer's eye.”
There must be no disruption during viewing—not from lighting, not from surface impurities, not from texts positioned too closely, and certainly not from the object mount itself.
This may sound obvious, but it is not. A mount that meets this standard must simultaneously hold securely, adapt individually to the artifact, and reveal as little of itself as possible from the front. These three requirements exist in constant tension, and resolving them is a master craft.
The objective formulated by exhibition designers is a physical impression: the floating object. An exhibit that seems to exist in the open air of its display case. Free and without visible connection to the world behind it. This impression is not created by magic, but by millimeter-precise engineering.
What lies behind the floating effect
Clemens Kritzer, mountmaker and object installer at ADAPTIV Exhibition Setup Vienna, describes his approach to achieving this goal: size, weight, geometry, and material are the primary criteria he evaluates upon first inspecting an object. These determine which mounting solution is feasible. However, what is permissible is not decided by the mountmaker or installer alone.
“The conservation team usually defines what I can touch and what I cannot,” says Kritzer. For delicate or exceptionally valuable exhibits, this means every object is evaluated individually. Together, designers, conservators, and mountmakers determine the contact points for support, which materials may come into contact with the artifact, and how the mount should function and appear. Sometimes an installation sketch is produced and approved before a single wire is bent. The mount is therefore not merely a technical aid; it is the result of a collective interdisciplinary decision.
The KLIO Mount System was developed specifically for this methodology. A modular mounting system that adapts individually to any exhibit while simultaneously meeting both conservation and aesthetic requirements. The guiding principle behind it: as strong as necessary, as delicate as possible.
Special objects require specialized solutions
The floating effect is easier to achieve when the object is small, lightweight, and regular in shape. The true quality of a mounting system, however, becomes evident with irregular geometries, fragile materials, multi-part objects, and exhibits that demand substantial technical support while revealing as little of it as possible.
Take an insignia with a ribbon, for example. The metal and textile present completely different requirements. The claw supports the metal medallion, but the ribbon requires a dedicated solution—it may only be contacted using silicone tubing and soft padding, must be presented at the same height, yet must not hang unsupported. What appears to be a simple object becomes, in practice, a complex multi-stage task.
The same applies to bulky or heavy exhibits. Here, stronger support rods are deployed, but the principle remains identical: what is visible from the front is reduced to an absolute minimum. The load is transferred to the rear anchoring point. The object itself continues to appear weightless in space.
The hidden art of object mounting
A well-designed exhibit mount does not draw attention. It is present, it carries, it holds, it protects—yet it never places itself in the foreground. The goal is to minimize one's own presence so that the final result appears almost imperceptible. Yet behind it lies a dedicated process demanding extensive experience and technical craftsmanship. Those who look closer will recognize the decisions involved: the selected diameter, the angle of the object relative to the back wall, and the chosen contact protection isolating the mounting metal from the exhibit. In some projects, the silicone tubing typically used for this purpose is selected in anthracite rather than its standard translucent finish, ensuring that even this final detail does not interfere with the viewing experience. Creating an appropriate object mount is, in its own right, a hidden art form.
The KLIO Mount System is a modular mounting system for professional object installation in museums and exhibitions, developed by ADAPTIV Exhibition Setup Vienna in close collaboration with object scenographer Harry Hauck, Berlin.