The Third International Conference of the Central European Network for Sonic Ecologies (CENSE)
Wrocław (Poland), 22-24 October 2020
The Soundscape Research Studio at the Institute of Cultural Studies and the Institute of Musicology at the University of Wrocław extend this invitation to participate in an upcoming international scientific conference. This event will take place as part of the third edition of the CENSE annual conference, following conferences in Budapest (2018) and Ústí nad Labem (2019).
The history of sound recording and the recording process itself are key concerns for the field of sound studies. In recent years, researchers have discovered increasingly older forms of sound recording and inscription (e.g., research conducted by the First Sounds Group on Scott de Martinville’s phonautograph resulted in moving the date of the beginning of sound recording back to the 1860s). Meanwhile, the notion of a “second life” of recorded sounds represents an important area for further inquiry. This notion refers to the problem of re-using archival, non-musical recordings in scientific research, as well as in the context of artistic, educational, environmental and political activities. Various types of sound archives offer important resources for historical, cultural, media, anthropological, musicological or sociological studies, as well as valuable material for artists. It is worthwhile to research within not only institutional contexts, but also private sound archives and collections, whether recently established or those with a long tradition. Today, the common practice of recording the sounds of everyday life using smartphones and portable recorders also raises questions about the future fate of these vast repositories of recordings.
We would like to reflect on the techniques and methods of re-using and re-mediating archival recordings of urban sounds, sounds of nature, human voices, and the sound environments of work and domestic spaces. The use of recorded sound for purposes other than those for which it was originally recorded poses questions about its changing status, as well as ethical problems involving the right to use and process recordings, issues related to how they are evaluated, and their introduction into new communication contexts. It is also necessary to consider the methods employed for the reconstruction, reading and analysis of sound recordings (including special recordings, such as the sounds of disasters).
Pertinent issues relate to the use of archival recordings in order to promote the idea of ecology. Can sound really be considered a medium capable of suggestively communicating climate change? To what extent do archival recordings of the sounds of nature today allow us to visualize changes taking place in individual ecosystems? Do recordings of destruction (e.g., the disappearance of bird songs) have greater causative and affective force than those showing positive change brought about through protective measures (e.g., the disappearance of noise)?
The question of “the second life” of a problematic sound heritage would also seem an interesting topic for discussion. An example of such problematic heritage would include recordings of surveillance wiretaps (including those conducted by security services), especially their contemporary (legal?) status and the possibility of using them in various contexts. This theme also refers to the broader issue of the “colonial” dimensions of recordings and the “decolonization” of archival resources, which in the case of Central Europe refers to the ongoing tension between those who created the recordings (state institutions with resources and equipment) and what was recorded (various sound environments that include social minorities, police recordings, social workers, radio broadcasts and the work of investigative journalists). The decolonial intervention in these recorded sound collections raises critical questions concerned with the role of the various parties in this communication process.
The themes that we invite proposals to explore include, but are not limited to:
- Forms of archiving sound recordings;
- Radio archives;
- Criteria for selecting audio materials for archiving;
- The deletion and destruction of sound archives;
- Falsified and fake sound archives;
- Copyright of sound recordings
- Sound archives in the context of museum exhibitions and education;
- Recordings as cultural heritage;
- Recorded sound as testimony;
- The role of recordings in historical politics;
- Cultural practices related to private recordings of everyday life;
- Private sound collections;
- Recordings in the context of representations of climate change;
- Re-use of non-musical recordings in music;
- Sound art based on archival sound recordings;
- Sound archives and the (re)construction of cultural identity;
- Decolonizing approaches to archival resources;
- Audio forensics;
- Archiving recordings and media archaeology.
Researchers representing various fields of interest, curators, educators and artists are invited to participate in the conference. The participants can either present a paper or present educational and artistic projects.
Further information
The conference will be held in English.
We will not charge a registration fee for participation in the conference.
We invite abstracts of submissions (up to 2,000 characters corresponding to a 20-min. presentation) with a deadline of Friday, 22 May, 2020.
The abstracts should point to the differences between the original purpose behind the sound recordings created and the conditions of their re-use. The participants are also requested to declare whether they will give a paper or present a project.
The conference Advisory Board will decide on the eventual admissions by 20 June, 2020.
The publication of papers is planned for 2021 in the form of an English-language scientific monograph or an edition of a scientific journal.
Scientific Board
Dariusz Brzostek (Department of Cultural Studies, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Toruń, PL)
Csaba Hajnóczy (Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design, Budapest, HU)
Július Fujak (Faculty of Arts, Constantine the Philosopher University, Nitra, SK)
Anna Nacher (Institute of Audiovisual Arts of the Jagiellonian University, PL)
Jan Krtička (Faculty of Art and Design at Jan Evangelista Purkyně University, Ústí nad Labem, CZ)
Renata Tańczuk – chairperson (Institute of Cultural Studies of the University of Wrocław, Soundscape Research Studio, PL)
Miloš Vojtěchovský (Asociace MLOK / Agosto Foundation, Prague CZ)
Partners
Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design, Budapest (HU)
Faculty of Arts, Constantine the Philosopher University, Nitra (SK)
Faculty of Art and Design at Jan Evangelista Purkyně University, Ústí nad Labem (CZ)
Artistic Partners
Canti Spazializzati Sound Lab (Wrocław, PL)
In Situ - Contemporary Art Foundation and Sanatorium of Sounds Festival (Sokołowsko, PL)
Organizers
Renata Tańczuk (Institute of Cultural Studies of the University of Wrocław, Soundscape Research Studio, PL)
Robert Losiak (Institute of Musicology of the University of Wrocław, Soundscape Research Studio, PL)
Sławomir Wieczorek (Institute of Musicology of the University of Wrocław, Soundscape Research Studio, PL)
Submissions (including abstracts) and any questions related to the conference should be sent to the following e-mail address: cense2020@gmail.com.
Website: www.soundscape.uni.wroc.pl
The Soundscape Research Studio was founded at the Faculty of Cultural Studies of the University of Wrocław in 2009. It is the only research institution of its kind in Poland. The Studio’s academic direction was inspired by Raymond Murray Schafer’s soundscape research initiated in the 1960s as the World Soundscape Project. The work of Schafer and his colleagues influenced the details of the first research project conducted by the Studio – an interdisciplinary study on the soundscape of today’s Wrocław. However, the Studio never limited its activity to academic research, instead complementing it with educational, artistic, and editorial projects, as well as practical workshops.