by Olivia Lucas
“Functional Sounds,” the first ever ESSA conference in Berlin a couple of weeks ago, amply demonstrated the breadth of current sound studies research and connected scholars across many disciplines. As someone from a musicological background, it was very exciting to be at a conference where papers on music per se were in the distinct minority.
The two keynotes set forth an expansive spectrum of possibilities for sound studies. Douglas Kahn’s proposed a “misanthropocentric” shift, as a means of confronting the limitations of human sensory perception and grasping at the earths own “functional sounds.” Jason Stanyek presented a history of noise cancellation technology, and its shaping of contemporary listening and the meaning of noise in the 21st century.
The conference was organized into six streams – Methodologies of Sound in the Humanities, Cultural Politics and Sonic Experience, Sonic Artistic Practices and Research, Sound Design Practices, Soundscapes of the Urban Future, and Pop and Sound – thematic areas that suggested the many approaches to research represented at the conference. In addition to academic papers, artists presented sound installations and performances throughout the three days, and several presentations were collaborative, producing a healthy balance between words about sound and sounds themselves.
A hearty congratulations to all who took part in the Functional Sounds conference, and especially to those who worked to make it happen!
Leave a Reply