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Technological cultures of sound

The role of sound, and the ways in which we listen, are subject to historical transformation and are strongly intertwined with technological developments, but it is not a simple case of technology-driven change: the technologies do not pop out of thin air and influence how we listen, but are embedded in social relations and cultural practices. This research theme deals with questions such as: how did sound become orchestrated as a public problem, as expressed in the anti-noise movements of the twentieth century? Indeed, what cultural meanings did the inhabitants of cities give to their sonic surroundings in different time periods? How on earth has it been become possible that we value the car as a place in which to find peace and quiet, or to listen to our favourite music as if it is a mobile listening booth, even though it was still a highly noisy vehicle at the start of the twentieth century? And what is the role of sound in science?

You can find a list of (current and past) projects that fall within this research line below.

Hidden Ears: Wiretapping, Eavesdropping, and Analyzing Sonic Information, 1960s–the present

February 1, 2019 0

Research project by Karin Bijsterveld, conducted as a fellow at the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study and at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science

Listen Closely: Innovating Participation in Symphonic Music

November 1, 2017 0

PhD project by Veerle Spronck who successfully defended her PhD on July 6, 2022. She currently works as associate lector/senior research at HKU University of […]

Artful Participation: Doing Artistic Research with Symphonic Music Audiences

November 1, 2017 0

In the 21st century, symphonic music institutions face challenges that endanger their traditional ways of operating. Although symphonic music is widely accessible, it has lost […]

Listening on Display: Exhibiting Sound Art 1960s-now

November 14, 2016 0

PhD project by Linnea Semmerling (funded by NWO through the ‘PhD in the Humanities’ programme), who successfully defended her PhD on April 30, 2020. She […]

Talking You Through: Traffic Information and Car Radio, 1950s-now

June 24, 2016 0

This project examines the history and contemporary practices of traffic radio in the United States, Germany and The Netherlands (1950s-now). Which technologies and organisational forms […]

History of sound: a Smart Audiobook for the Car

February 14, 2016 0

Image: https://beeldbank.rws.nl, Rijkswaterstaat / DVK-RWS Project Leader: Karin Bijsterveld

A New Baroque Organ for the 21st Century

April 11, 2015 0

This project aims to research and document the building of a new baroque organ at the Orgelpark in Amsterdam. This concert venue in Amsterdam, founded […]

Sonic skills: sound and listening in the development of science, technology and medicine (1920s-now)

May 10, 2014 0

Scholars who emphasize the visual bias in Western culture usually point to science as their favorite example. Doing research seems impossible without using images, graphs […]

Sonic Skills: Sonification of Scientific Data

April 10, 2014 0

Sonic Skills: Sonification of Scientific Data This project investigates the practice of the auditory display of scientific data, also known as data sonification. Since the […]

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Projects by theme

Embodied Expertise in Art, Science and Medicine

Networks of Knowledge Production and Consumption

Practices of Collaborative Research and Innovation

See also:

All current projects

Past projects

Output

Monographs and edited volumes
Peer-reviewed Publications
Public and media appearances
Past academic events
Awards and prizes
Video material
PhD Dissertations
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