I-Hear-Too on Radio 4... 6 Sept 2011

Hearing the Past through our ancestors’ ears

BBC Radio 4,
11 am, Monday September 12th, 2011.

Imagine being able to eavesdrop on the sound of a ritual at Stonehenge four thousand years ago, or hear singing in the original Coventry Cathedral before it was bombed in 1940.

Broadcaster and Physicist, Professor Jim Al-Khalili investigates how latest research in acoustics is helping us to recreate authentic sounds of the past. It is changing the way we study history and experience tourist attractions. It is also helping us to improve the acoustic design of future buildings.

Jim discovers how architects of modern concert venues are learning lessons from the layout of Stonehenge. He also finds out how acoustic design goes far beyond just making our buildings sound good, in some cases it can save lives.

The research is bringing together a diverse group of scientists, engineers, sound archivists, museum curators and sound artists.

The initial project was funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).

‘Hearing the Past’ will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 at 11 am on Monday September 12th. The programme will also be available via the Radio 4 website (bbc.co.uk/radio4). The programme has also been selected as BBC Radio 4’s Documentary of the Week.

The Producer of the programme is Jane Reck.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b014f9q5

UPDATE Programme for 18th May Event 15 May 2009

A small change in the programme as Mark Edmonds has had to pull out at the last minute and will now hopefully be presenting at our Glasgow event in September instead.

We are very pleased to announce that at the 11th hour sound artist Craig Vear has agreed to present aspects of his recent work:

Superfield [Mumbai] - the see-hearing dimension of sound art

Craig Vear, composer and sound artist; Adelphi Research Institute, University of Salford

The programme has been updated below.

British Library - Further Information: Directions to Centre for Conservation 6 May 2009

The Centre for Conservation is accessed from the first floor of the British Library.

Take the main stairs to the left of the Information Desk to the first floor (not the Upper Ground Floor). At the top of the stairs turn right and walk alongside the King's Library, then take your first left. Follow the corridor along through the first set of double doors directly ahead. Then go through the double doors on your immediate right into the stair lobby. Go through the glass doors onto the terrace, the Centre for Conservation is directly ahead of you.

If you require further directions, please ask at the Information Desk in foyer of the British Library.

Second Worksop, Monday 18th May - The British Library, London 3 May 2009

Sound as a Heritage Object

Hosted by the British Library Sound Archive, our second workshop event will focus on sound as a heritage artefact in its own right, and the speakers during the day have been invited to reflect this particular aspect of audio and heritage research.

Please note: there is no charge to attend the workshop, but places are limited, so please register soon to avoid disappointment.

Please register by Monday 11th May by Emailing info[@]iheartoo.org or by contacting Jude Brereton direct at the contact details given in panel to the right.

Programme

VENUE: Centre for Conservation - see directions post

10:00 - Coffee and registration

10:15 - Welcome:
Damian Murphy - I-Hear-Too
Richard Ranft - Head of The British Library Sound Archive

10:30 - Digital Preservation at the British Library Sound Archive
Will Prentice - The British Library Sound Archive

10:50 - The non-contact surface scanning of early sound recordings for the preservation of audio content.
Prof. Martyn Hill, Electro-Mechanical Research Group
School of Engineering Sciences
University of Southampton

11:20 - Renovating historically significant recordings
Jez Wells, AudioLab, University of York

11:40 - Interactive Access to Audio Heritage
Josh Reiss, Centre for Digital Music, Queen Mary University of London

12:00 - Sound Archive Tour: Part 1

12:00-13:00 - Lunch, Networking, Ideas Exchange

13:00 - Sound Archive Tour: Part 2

13:30 - Superfield [Mumbai] - the see-hearing dimension of sound art
Craig Vear, composer and sound artist; Adelphi Research Institute, University of Salford

14:10 - Fakes and Forgeries
Nigel Bewley, Operations Manager, British Library Sound Archive

14:30 - Coffee

14:40 - Developing Research Ideas

15:45 - Summary

16:00 - Close

Additional Information

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