War close by: An immersive audio experience in the Akerk

Two tours, two stories

War Close By gave visitors two tours, each with its own story. One follows the exhibition and tells the story of Groningen during the war: oppression, resistance, and freedom, often unfolding in the streets around the church. The other turns to the Akerk itself, uncovering what happened inside its walls during those years. Each surfaces parts of Groningen's past that are rarely heard.

Sound that surrounds you

The tours guide visitors through a series of listening points where sound closes in from every side. Using spatial and binaural audio, we built lifelike soundscapes: the hum of warplanes, distant gunfire, moments of silence and resistance. The audio was produced together with Sphere of Sound.

The years 1940–1945 come close through sound, archival photographs, and small personal belongings. It is an experience meant to be felt physically and emotionally, and to leave you reflecting on how fragile freedom can be, even today.

Wartime stories of the Akerk

The tour into the Akerk's own past steps inside the church. During the war, it was both a refuge and a place under occupation. British airmen were hidden in the attic. A secret radio played in the pulpit. Church staff concealed weapons. A spy sat unnoticed in the pews during services, hiding in plain sight.

The tour passes six short listening points where memory and historical detail meet. Along the way, longer stories are told by the grandson of the church's wartime caretaker, who shares what his grandfather witnessed: resistance, risk, and survival.

History made tangible

War Close By was curated by historian Martin Hillenga and given its spatial design by Paul & Albert, who turned the Akerk into a ruin-like space echoing the devastation of wartime Groningen. Against that backdrop, the audio tours wove personal histories into layered sound, telling the story of ordinary people in extraordinary times, and making it tangible.

What visitors felt

The exhibition reached more than 10,000 visitors. Their reactions spoke to how directly the sound landed.