In partnership with Charcoalblue, Apex Acoustics, the Institute of Acoustics and SPARC (Sound, Practice & Research at City).
To mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Institute of Acoustics, we are celebrating the intersection of Acoustics, Soundscapes and Heritage.
‘Legacies of Sound: Past, Present and Future of Museums’ Soundscapes’ is a two-part event that aims to reimagine the soundscape of museums.
Part 1
Hosted by Apex Acoustics in Newcastle (hybrid event) on Wednesday 26th June 2024. You can book a place for in person registration or online attendance.
Part 2
Held at City, University of London on Friday 28th June
Schedule
12noon onwards, registration, lunch and networking in room AG08, College Building
Panel sessions will be in room AG09 or AG22 depending on numbers. All rooms are on the ground floor of the College Building and close to each other
Session 1
12.45pm Welcome from Laudan Nooshin and housekeeping
1pm - 2.30pm
Chair: Richard Williams (SOAS)
Emily Bradfield (Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge)
‘Take a Walk in My Shoes. Exploring Multisensory Experiences of Being ‘In’ the Museum, Working with Adults with Non-Visible Disabilities’
Aimee Fletcher (University of Glasgow)
‘Creating Accessible Museums for Neurodivergent Audiences’
Shane Cryer (Ecophon) and Peter Rogers (Sustainable Acoustics)
‘Recombobulating and optimal acoustics at the Winchester Science Centre’
Angus Deuchars (ARUP)
‘Adding Context to User Experience with Sound. A Case Study on Deepening Visitor Engagement in Museum Threshold Spaces’
Session 2: 2.35pm - 3.45pm
Chair: Maria Mendonça (Kenyon College/City)
Fiona Slater (Science Museum)
‘Open for All – Strategy Into Practice’
Charlotte Slark and Alison Eardley (The Sensational Museum)
‘Sound in the Sensational Museum’
Milo Fox (Charcoalblue)
‘Acoustics of the Grandiose: Accessible Design in Historic Museums’
Olivia Hewkin (VocalEyes)
‘Innovating Audio Description for Museums’
Esther Fox (Accentuate/Screen South) and Ruth Garde (Curating Visibility)
‘Possibilities for Immersive Sound as Interpretation Tool in Museums’
3.45 to 4.15pm Tea/coffee in AG09
Session 3: 4.15pm - 5.45pm
Chair: Amanda Brecknell (Architect, Charcoalblue)
James Wilkie
‘Seeing things for what they are, listening out for what things could be: Using sound art to speculate on belonging, wellbeing, and access through the white cube’
Rebecca Romeo Pitone (Apex Acoustics)
‘Decolonising Museum Soundscapes: A Practice-Based Enquiry’
Jean Hewitt, Madeleine Granland and Rebecca Adda (Buro Happold).
‘Sensory Friendly Museums’
5.45pm Final comments and wrap up
6pm, pub and networking @ the Dame Alice Owen, 3 min walk from College Building
292 St John St, London EC1V 4PA.
There has been a growing interest in recent years in the aesthetic soundscapes of public architecture beyond questions of structural acoustics and environmental noise management. This has emerged from an increased awareness of the importance of sound (and sensory environments more generally) in the production of public space, and in generating affective connections between people and place. Parallel to this have been increasingly urgent discussions around access and inclusivity.
Museums have also become increasingly attentive to the role and potential of sound, both within curated exhibition spaces and in other public areas. Sound clearly has the capacity to shape spaces, to trigger different modes of spatial relations and to connect visitors to exhibitions in very emotive ways. At the same time, sound can create exclusions, for instance in relation to sensory overload or feelings of not ‘belonging’ in a space.
As part of the AHRC funded project ‘Place-making Through Sound: Designing for Inclusivity and Wellbeing’ (2023-24), hosted by theatre and acoustics consultancy Charcoalblue, this half-day event will explore current practice around sonic justice and sound as an agent of inclusion and wellbeing, addressing a range of issues including neuro-inclusion, cultural belonging, and soundscapes approaches to space and exhibition design.
The event is aimed at anyone interested in sound in museums and questions of equity and access. Speakers will include curators, acousticians, access and equity staff and advocates, as well as others working more broadly in the museum sector.
Attendance at City events is subject to our terms and conditions.