facts and fiction

facts and fiction is a creative agency specialising in creating experiential spaces. Founded in 1992, the company's approach brings together design, media, interactive, and physical elements to create installations that inspire audiences around the world. A core principle of facts and fiction's design ethos is a commitment to placing the power of storytelling at the centre of each project, ensuring that their creations emotionally resonate with those who experience them.

Services

With offices in Berlin and Cologne, the team is made up of experts from a wide variety of fields, including design, architecture, scenography, media production, and content development. Their multidisciplinary approach allows them to deliver every stage of a project, from concept and storytelling through to design, technical planning, production, and on-site realisation.

Museums and Exhibitions

The team have over two decades of experience in creating museums and exhibitions around the world, making them well poised to translate any curatorial concept into a fully realised experience that centres storytelling and objects. facts and fiction's designs allow visitors to actively participate in the experience through interactives. They recognise museums as spaces for everyone, so they place an emphasis on ensuring that their work is inclusive and accessible. Sustainability is also an important aspect of facts and fiction's work, with the team employing regenerative and sustainable practices in the creation of their exhibitions.

Pavilions for World Expos

Since the World Expo in Hanover in the year 2000, facts and fiction have been involved with over 10 large-scale pavilions at exhibitions around the world. Their involvement across various projects has been diverse, with the team taking on roles as planners for entire pavilions, as well as general contractors for specific sub-areas. Most recently, the team helped bring to life three pavilions at Expo 2025 in Osaka, including the German, Austrian, and European Union pavilions.

Selected Projects

The Austrian pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka

Inspired by Japanese associations with Austrian culture, the team at facts and fiction created a pavilion dedicated to music and composing. Taking guests on a trip through time, the pavilion explores 18th and 19th century classical music right through to the music of today. At the entrance to the pavilion, facts and fiction built an impressive sculpture of a spiralling musical stave, with the interior featuring the first few bars of Beethoven's 'Ode to Joy'. This sculpture has become an iconic fixture of the expo, and can be seen from across the site.

Permanent exhibition of the German Mining Museum

For one of the largest and most traditional museums in Germany, facts and fiction undertook a general refurbishment and redesign of a new permanent exhibition opening in 2019. Four unique tours were created by the team, each featuring interactives ranging from peepers to expansive exploratory games. The museum now features around 120 media stations, including large projections, audio experiences, and information terminals.