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A TRADE SHOW BUILT LIKE A MUSIC SCENE
- At Superbooth in Berlin, Love Synthesizers launched its first instrument: the First Love Synthesizer. The opportunity also came with a larger exhibition footprint. Rather than treating the booth as a conventional trade-show display, the team used the space to tell a broader story about the music culture that shaped the companies exhibiting within it.
- Alongside Love Synthesizers were fellow Icelandic music technology companies Genki Instruments, Cycle Instruments, Inorganic Audio, and Atomic Analog. Together, the group represented a cross-section of Reykjavík’s independent electronic music scene. The challenge was to create cohesion across five distinct brands without adding to the visual and sensory overload common at music industry exhibitions.
- The resulting concept, Little Reykjavík, became both exhibition design and cultural tribute. Inspired by the city’s record stores—spaces that function simultaneously as venues, social infrastructure, and creative incubators—the booth recreated the atmosphere of Reykjavík’s grassroots music community inside the exhibition hall.
- Iceland’s music culture has long been shaped by these hybrid spaces. Smekkleysa helped establish the model as both label and shop during the rise of The Sugarcubes and the early career of Björk. 12 Tónar became a weekly gathering place where artists connected through informal experimentation, contributing to the emergence of groups like Sigur Rós and Múm. More recently, Space Odyssey evolved from a DJ night at Kaffibarinn into a focal point for Reykjavík’s underground electronic scene, while Lucky Records continues to host pop-up performances and community events.
- The 30 m² booth translated these references into a physical environment. Inspired by the interior language of 12 Tónar, one wall displayed real records and collected Icelandic electronic album artwork. Company logos appeared as album covers integrated into the display. A window display showed filmed street scenes from downtown Reykjavík, including views of the record stores themselves, extending the illusion of place beyond the booth walls.
- The installation was designed with the practical realities of temporary exhibition spaces in mind. Everything needed to be lightweight, affordable, quick to assemble, and easy to dismantle. Printed foam boards created the illusion of architectural walls, while standard electrical cable channels—readily available at hardware stores—were adapted into shelving for vinyl sleeves. Furniture was rented through the exhibition venue and supplemented with inexpensive IKEA pieces. Many of the records themselves were borrowed from friends in Reykjavík, reinforcing the collaborative and community-driven spirit behind the project.
- Furniture choices reinforced the atmosphere. Visitors sat on drum thrones at the deep listening bench positioned in front of the record wall, while a living room sofa and Persian rug created a place for conversation and pause amid the intensity of the show floor. Behind it, a wall of risograph gig posters transformed new product launches into fictional band announcements, treating hardware releases less like consumer electronics and more like artifacts from a local music scene.
- The center of the space functioned as a shared performance and demonstration platform. Each exhibitor’s instruments and software were interconnected through a communal demo pod, allowing impromptu collaborative performances and silent disco concerts throughout the exhibition. Coffee was always available, echoing the hospitality and informality of the Reykjavík spaces that inspired the project.
- The installation quickly became a recognizable destination within Superbooth itself. Social posts from attendees, neighboring exhibitors, and media visitors documented the booth’s live performances, collaborative demonstrations, and informal atmosphere throughout the exhibition. Coverage of the First Love synthesizer by outlets including Perfect Circuit and Synthtopia further extended the visibility of the project beyond the exhibition hall.
- Rather than operating as five adjacent brands competing for attention, Little Reykjavík became a temporary scene of its own—an environment that communicated not only what these companies make, but the culture, relationships, and creative conditions from which the work emerges.
Wall Illustrations: Sullivan Hendrix
Poster Designs: Dúa Landmark
Video: Vikram Prahdam, Michael Hendrix
Production: Love Synthesizers
Photography: Jadranko Marjanovic
File Under: SPATIAL DESIGN, BRAND IDENTITY, MARKETING, EXPERIENCE DESIGN