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

To Follow

More About I Hear Too

Sound is often considered the poor relation of visual stimuli, yet plays a significant role in conveying information for rapid assimilation by a listener, and is a key component in the multi-modal perception of virtual/augmented reality applications. I-Hear-Too encompasses the understanding and preservation of heritage through the consideration of sound objects (recordings, sound archives, music, instruments), the built environment (architectural acoustics, archaeological acoustics, auralization), sites and landscapes (sound in context). All of these elements are subject to change over time and so their audio/acoustic preservation is just as important for understanding of the past by future generations as any of their other material aspects or properties.

Key research issues include the use of sound recordings and archives in heritage preservation, their restoration, organisation and access together with what to record now for future preservation; virtual acoustic reality and immersive sound as a means to preserve and render sounds and environments in new forms; the role of sound, sound-art and archival recordings as a means to access, enhance understanding, or experience the diversity of heritage; the importance of formalising acoustics research in heritage together with its proper contextualisation; the use of soundscape for conveying information to a listener or wider audience.

I-Hear-Too Live, a programme of sound works, installations, demos and audio interactives to be held in and around York Minster in October 2009 will showcase these aspects of science/heritage research and set a benchmark for future work.

I-Hear-Too will facilitate a step-change in how audio is used for preserving, experiencing and researching heritage, and by the end of the project will have brought together communities to form a newly focused stream of multi-disciplinary research.

Sound and the Environment - An introduction to the work of the Dogrose Trust 30 Apr 2009

Julia and Peter from the Dogrose Trust were one of the groups represented at our first I Hear Too workshop event at the Natioanl Railway Museum on 20th April. They've kindly written up the paper they presented and allowed us to make it available via this site. It's available here.

First Workshop, Monday 20th April - National Railway Museum, York 20 Apr 2009

Sound and the Heritage Experience

Please find attached details of the I Hear Too research network and our first research workshop in York.

The focus of the day will be to consider the general role of audio and acoustics in heritage and will include presentations from academic researchers, artists and industry stakeholders, bringing their varying perspectives on the role of sound and acoustics in their own definition, understanding and interaction with heritage.

Please do feel free to pass on these details to colleagues and friends
with an interest in this area.

Please register by Monday 6th April by Emailing info@iheartoo.org or contacting Jude Brereton at:

AudioLab
Department of Electronics
University of York
York, YO10 5DD
tel. +44(0)1904 432407 (Mons/Weds)

Additional Information:

Details of the new AHRC/EPSRC Science/Heritage Call

The National Railway Museum

Visitor Information/Directions

Museum Map

There is a connecting walkway from York Station (see the above map), and the event will be held in the Morton Suite which is best arrived at from the Leeman Road entrance (labelled as 14 on the map) although you can be directed through from the Museum's front desk.