Creative director Christopher Garthe shares the thinking behind a manifesto promoting his desire to reposition scenography as an active agent for transformation towards a more sustainable society. An example of its seven principles of participatory, inclusive, content-driven, sufficiency-focused, circular, stimulating, and impact-oriented design in action explores extreme weather events and makes the climate crisis visceral.
“Key social-ecological issues including climate protection, global justice and post-growth have triggered the concept of sustainability and debate on societal transformation. These disruptions are reflected in the cultural sector in general and the output of artists, exhibition designers and scenographers in particular. Against this backdrop, scenography may be construed as a communication tool in the process of societal transformation. Scenography needs to gain new significance by increasing its impact on the path towards sustainable development.”
Christopher Garthe is a creative director, lecturer, and author who specialises in sustainability in exhibitions and museums, and a sound artist working on the intersections of arts-based sustainability research.
Why a Manifesto for Sustainable Scenography? It was born from the desire to reposition scenography as an active agent in the transformation towards a more sustainable society. While sustainability has become a central issue in architecture, urban planning, and product design, the field of exhibition and spatial design has often limited itself to raising awareness — instead of becoming an instrument of change itself.
Scenography, however, is more than storytelling. It is the spatial expression of values, a medium of translation, and a tool for activating the imagination. As such, it holds immense potential to contribute to the cultural shift needed for ecological and social transformation.
This manifesto was developed within my design practice, informed by years of work in the field of sustainable exhibitions and cultural education. It synthesizes my core learnings into seven guiding principles that aim to reframe how exhibitions are conceptualized, designed, and experienced.
The principles of participatory, inclusive, content-driven, sufficiency-focused, circular, stimulating, and impact-oriented scenography emerged from both practical and theoretical reflections. They are informed by design research, user feedback, and ongoing projects with institutions, museums and scenographers.
Participation and inclusion are not abstract goals but concrete working methods that lead to more relevant and accessible design. Content-drivenness is a commitment to substance: exhibitions should not merely illustrate sustainability, but embody it. Sufficiency calls for doing more with less – reducing the material footprint while increasing the meaningfulness of design.
Circular design strategies follow naturally from this ethos: modular systems, reused and reusable materials, and lifecycle thinking become essential design tools. At the same time, we firmly reject the idea that sustainable design must be visually bland. Stimulating scenography can be minimal and beautiful, sensuous and smart. And, above all, it should be impact-oriented — designed not only to inform, but to transform.
A vivid example of these principles in action is Wetterextreme, the newest permanent exhibition at Klimahaus Bremerhaven. The show explores the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events — from heatwaves to hurricanes — and connects them to global climate change. It doesn’t stop at data; it makes the crisis visceral.
The exhibition design employs large-scale, immersive spatial settings to dramatize phenomena like flooding, drought, and tornadoes. In the accompanying exhibition spaces, it is carefully sufficiency-focused and material choices were guided by circularity criteria.
Wetterextreme also uses scenography as narrative: Sensory experiences make climate disruption physically tangible. But the exhibition goes further: interactive stations encourage visitors to explore mitigation strategies and personal agency — making the shift from passive observation to active engagement.
The result is a scenographic experience that is dramatic but not didactic, emotional but evidence-based — and most importantly, one that reinforces the urgency and relevance of climate action through spatial storytelling.
Looking ahead, this manifesto is not a checklist but a living document. It is meant to provoke, inspire, and grow through use. I invite designers, curators, educators, and cultural institutions to explore and expand it in their own practice. Sustainable scenography is not only possible — it is necessary. And it begins by imagining space as a catalyst for change.
You can download Sustainable Scenography: a manifesto direct from studio klv, the agency where Christopher is head of concept development.