WORKLAB – International Association of Labour Museums – will meet again next summer in Dortmund, Germany. Work With Sounds Conference will take place 19. – 21.8.2015 in the headquarters of the LWL-Industriemuseum. There will be sections on sounds and soundscapes of Europe, on urban sounds, museum sounds, reflecting sounds and working with sounds. Conference is organised by an EU project participated by many Worklab museums – please join us in sunny Dortmund! Call for papers is now open!

In 1971 the composer and sound researcher R. Murray Schafer started the “World Soundscape Project,” which was devoted to the comparative study of soundscapes. The driving impulse behind his project was the realization that industrialization and urbanization brought about a drastic change in the acoustic environment. The issue of the acoustic environment remained unaddressed by the scholarship long after. But gradually the arts, humanities and cultural institutions are beginning to turn their attention towards the cultural meanings of sounds and listening.

What was the soundscape of industrialization? How does it differ from the soundscape today? Has the volume of our environment increased or decreased? When did people begin to perceive urban and industrial sounds as a nuisance? When did people start measuring the acoustic environment? Where and why have sounds turned into acoustic codes? What role does the technical reproducibility of the acoustic play? Which sounds are carved into the acoustic memory? What significance can sounds have for the identity of individuals, collectives or even nations? What sources can be used for a comprehensive Sound History? How do museums deal with the acoustic cultural heritage and how can they impart it? What are the benefits of publicly accessible sound collections and who would make use of them?

The final conference of the EU-Project “Work with Sounds” in 2015 brings together sound projects from museums, archives, universities and media to share their experiences with recording, conserving, exploring and using the sounds and soundscapes of Europe. In panels on urban sounds, museum sounds, reflecting sounds and working with sounds the conference wants to present and discuss theories and practices in the history and anthropology of sound, the importance and meaning of sound, and the potential of working with sounds – internationally and interdisciplinary.

In the final panel we invite projects to present their work, exchange ideas and opinions, and network. We would like to have 10 minute presentations highlighting the 5 most important issues of your work – with sounds and pictures if you wish. Our “project market“ will offer further opportunities for self-presentation and networking. Please send your proposal (1 page incl. a short biography) to konrad.gutkowski(at)lwl.org. Deadline for papers is 20th June 2015. Hope to see you in Dortmund next August!

Please follow the Work with Sounds project and read more about the conference at:
http://www.workwithsounds.eu/activities/