Democratize Consumption! - From department store to shopping app

Janine Seitz - Futurology
E-Mail: janinejanine-seitzde

From May 2026, the Museum of Consumer Culture will be showing the first part of its exhibition as part of the World Design Capital Frankfurt/RheinMain 2026 in the former SportScheck department store in the middle of Wiesbaden-Mitte's pedestrian zone. Under the title "Democratize Consumption! - From department store to shopping app", the exhibition highlights the close connection between consumption and democracy: from the beginnings of department stores to current issues surrounding online shopping, sustainability and social participation.

Consumption is part of human culture. It is a leisure activity, a source of identity and a projection surface - sometimes a comfort, sometimes a status symbol, sometimes an addiction. Today, consumption knows hardly any boundaries, while former shopping magnets are visibly losing importance. We prefer to store from the comfort of our couch and bring global worlds of goods to our smartphones via an app.

The pop-up exhibition is both a history museum and a laboratory for the future. It looks back at the glorious times of the consumer palaces that promised consumption for all and invites visitors to participate and reflect at the same time. Visions for the future of consumption are to be developed and discussed together. The museum project is planned as a series with individual building blocks on the history, present and future of consumption. The long-term goal is to establish a permanent museum for consumer culture.

Specifically, we will pilot and test around five measures along the chain from purchase to use to disposal in 2026. Successful measures can remain permanent or be scaled up after 2026.

May to October 2026

Former SportScheck (WDC lighthouse for Wiesbaden)
Langgasse 5-9
65183 Wiesbaden

Education, consumption, culture & media