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Of floating objects and the work that goes into them.
An antique vase. A historical tool. A sparkling piece of jewelry from bygone centuries. Free-standing in space. Without visible support. Without recognizable connection to the wall behind it or the floor below. In a well-made exhibition, the exhibits seem to stand freely in space. As if they were floating. Only on second glance do you see them: the object installation.
This is not a coincidence; it is the result of careful decisions made long before the opening, in workshops, in front of lightstands, with a bending tool in hand. The best object assembly is the one that doesn’t stand out. It approaches the object so closely that it almost disappears itself. Not because technology doesn’t play a role; rather, it is used so precisely that it fades into the background.
The eye must not hang anywhere.
Harry Hauck, an object designer with over thirty years of experience in the design, planning, and implementation of international museum exhibitions, puts the goal of every object installation as follows:
„Objects in a display case and in an exhibition are the actors in a narrative in the museum. It is about history and about stories. When viewed, this narrative should be clearly perceived and the object itself. The eye should be able to wander, to immerse itself in bygone times, to discover and search; it is allowed to see structures on the object and to delve into its special characteristics. The eye of the observer should therefore not be left hanging anywhere else.“
There must therefore be no interference with the viewing experience due to lighting, not due to impurities, not due to text that is too close, and certainly not due to the mounting of the object.
That sounds obvious. But it is not. Because a mount that meets this requirement must at the same time be secure, adapt individually to the object, and show as little of itself as possible from the front. These three requirements are in a constant state of tension, and resolving them is a matter of skilled craftsmanship.
The goal that the exhibition designers formulate is a physical impression: the floating object. An exhibit that seems to exist in the bare space of its showcase. Free and without any visible connection to the world beyond. This impression is not created by magic, but by meticulous work.
What lies behind the floating phenomenon
Clemens Kritzer, Mountmaker and object designer at ADAPTIV Exhibition Setup Wien describes the approach for achieving this goal as follows: Size, weight, shape and material are the first criteria he considers when he first sees an object. From this, he determines which mounting option is possible. However, the Mountmaker or object designer is not the only one who decides what may be possible.
„The colleagues in the restoration department usually tell me what I can and cannot touch,“ says Kritzer. For fragile or particularly valuable exhibits, this means that each object is discussed individually. Together, the designer, the restorer, and the mountmaker decide at which points the piece can be held, which materials are allowed to come into contact, and how the holder should function and look. Sometimes this results in a montage sketch that is released before a single wire is bent. The holder is then not just a technical tool; it is the result of a collective professional decision.
The KLIO Mount System was developed for just this type of working method. A modular mounting system that can be adapted individually to suit any exhibit while simultaneously meeting both conservation and design requirements. The guiding principle behind it: as strong as necessary, as fine as possible.
Special objects require special solutions
The display effect is easier to achieve when the object is small, lightweight and regularly shaped. However, the actual quality of a display system is ultimately revealed by unusual shapes, fragile materials, multi-part objects, and exhibits that require a great deal of technical support but should show little of it.
An order with a ribbon, for example. The metal and the textile present completely different requirements. The collar holds the metal medallion, but the order ribbon needs its own solution; it can only be touched with silicone tubing and a soft backing; it must be presented at the same height; but it must not be hung. What seems like a simple object becomes a multi-purpose item in practice.
The same applies to expansive or heavy exhibits. Stronger support poles are used here, but the principle remains the same. What is visible from the front is reduced to a minimum. The load is directed to the rear, to the anchor point. The object itself still appears free in the space.
The hidden art in the object
A good exhibit holder does not stand out. It is there, it is worn, it is held, it protects, but it does not take center stage. The goal is to take the own work back so that the result hardly seems noticeable. Yet behind it lies a process that requires years of experience and craftsmanship. Those who look more closely recognize the decisions behind it: the chosen diameter, the angle at which the object is placed against the back wall and the chosen contact protection that separates the mounting metal from the exhibit. In some projects, the silicone hose most often used for this is chosen in anthracite instead of its usual milky color, so that even this last detail does not interfere with the viewing process. A suitable object mounting is, in itself, a unique form of art in secret.
The KLIO Mount System is a modular mounting system for professional object mounting in museums and exhibitions, developed by ADAPTIV Exhibition Setup Wien in close collaboration with object scenographer Harry Hauck, Berlin.
The hidden art of object assembly in museums
Of floating objects and the work that goes into them.
An antique vase. A historical tool. A sparkling piece of jewelry from bygone centuries. Free-standing in space. Without visible support. Without recognizable connection to the wall behind it or the floor below. In a well-made exhibition, the exhibits seem to stand freely in space. As if they were floating. Only on second glance do you see them: the object installation.
This is not a coincidence; it is the result of careful decisions made long before the opening, in workshops, in front of lightstands, with a bending tool in hand. The best object assembly is the one that doesn’t stand out. It approaches the object so closely that it almost disappears itself. Not because technology doesn’t play a role; rather, it is used so precisely that it fades into the background.
The eye must not hang anywhere.
Harry Hauck, an object designer with over thirty years of experience in the design, planning, and implementation of international museum exhibitions, puts the goal of every object installation as follows:
„Objects in a display case and in an exhibition are the actors in a narrative in the museum. It is about history and about stories. When viewed, this narrative should be clearly perceived and the object itself. The eye should be able to wander, to immerse itself in bygone times, to discover and search; it is allowed to see structures on the object and to delve into its special characteristics. The eye of the observer should therefore not be left hanging anywhere else.“
There must therefore be no interference with the viewing experience due to lighting, not due to impurities, not due to text that is too close, and certainly not due to the mounting of the object.
That sounds obvious. But it is not. Because a mount that meets this requirement must at the same time be secure, adapt individually to the object, and show as little of itself as possible from the front. These three requirements are in a constant state of tension, and resolving them is a matter of skilled craftsmanship.
The goal that the exhibition designers formulate is a physical impression: the floating object. An exhibit that seems to exist in the bare space of its showcase. Free and without any visible connection to the world beyond. This impression is not created by magic, but by meticulous work.
What lies behind the floating phenomenon
Clemens Kritzer, Mountmaker and object designer at ADAPTIV Exhibition Setup Wien describes the approach for achieving this goal as follows: Size, weight, shape and material are the first criteria he considers when he first sees an object. From this, he determines which mounting option is possible. However, the Mountmaker or object designer is not the only one who decides what may be possible.
„The colleagues in the restoration department usually tell me what I can and cannot touch,“ says Kritzer. For fragile or particularly valuable exhibits, this means that each object is discussed individually. Together, the designer, the restorer, and the mountmaker decide at which points the piece can be held, which materials are allowed to come into contact, and how the holder should function and look. Sometimes this results in a montage sketch that is released before a single wire is bent. The holder is then not just a technical tool; it is the result of a collective professional decision.
The KLIO Mount System was developed for just this type of working method. A modular mounting system that can be adapted individually to suit any exhibit while simultaneously meeting both conservation and design requirements. The guiding principle behind it: as strong as necessary, as fine as possible.
Special objects require special solutions
The display effect is easier to achieve when the object is small, lightweight and regularly shaped. However, the actual quality of a display system is ultimately revealed by unusual shapes, fragile materials, multi-part objects, and exhibits that require a great deal of technical support but should show little of it.
An order with a ribbon, for example. The metal and the textile present completely different requirements. The collar holds the metal medallion, but the order ribbon needs its own solution; it can only be touched with silicone tubing and a soft backing; it must be presented at the same height; but it must not be hung. What seems like a simple object becomes a multi-purpose item in practice.
The same applies to expansive or heavy exhibits. Stronger support poles are used here, but the principle remains the same. What is visible from the front is reduced to a minimum. The load is directed to the rear, to the anchor point. The object itself still appears free in the space.
The hidden art in the object
A good exhibit holder does not stand out. It is there, it is worn, it is held, it protects, but it does not take center stage. The goal is to take the own work back so that the result hardly seems noticeable. Yet behind it lies a process that requires years of experience and craftsmanship. Those who look more closely recognize the decisions behind it: the chosen diameter, the angle at which the object is placed against the back wall and the chosen contact protection that separates the mounting metal from the exhibit. In some projects, the silicone hose most often used for this is chosen in anthracite instead of its usual milky color, so that even this last detail does not interfere with the viewing process. A suitable object mounting is, in itself, a unique form of art in secret.
The KLIO Mount System is a modular mounting system for professional object mounting in museums and exhibitions, developed by ADAPTIV Exhibition Setup Wien in close collaboration with object scenographer Harry Hauck, Berlin.