I Hear Too

I-Hear-Too on Radio 4...

2011-09-06T15:05:00.000-07:00

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

Sounds of the Past and the Future

2009-11-23T09:44:00.000-08:00

Today sees the launch of the Podcast we have been working on in the support of the I Hear Too project. As we have been investigating the role that sound has in heritage we thought 21st century audio media would be the best way to capture and disseminate our work.

The podcast has been announced on EPSRC's news website:

http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/PressReleases/pastsounds.htm

The video version is available here.

And you can subscribe to it on iTunes by searching for the EPSRC Pioneer Podcast.

It features interviews with Damian Murphy (I Hear Too), Louise K Wilson (Artist), Richard Ranft (British Library Sound Archive), Rupert Till (University of Huddersfield), Seb Jouan (Arup Acoustics), Joe Savage (National Railway Museum, York), Sarah May (English Heritage).

With sincere thanks to Jane Reck of the EPSRC Press Office for all her hard work in pulling this together.

I Hear Too: Live - 7 October 2009 8pm

2009-09-19T07:23:00.000-07:00

York Minster to echo to the sound of heritage

A unique event showcasing sound-art and music in the historic setting of York Minster. I Hear Too: Live will feature seven specially commissioned music, performance and sound-art installation in various locations around the Minster.

Artists include:

Ebor Singers: John Was & Aaron Watson: David Chapman: Craig Vear: Louise K Wilson: HISTORYWORKS: Jon Calver & Helen Weinstein

The varied programme of works will, over the course of the evening, explore, interpret and re-examine the space, architecture and daily life of the Minster, making use of various aspects and features of the building.

We encourage the audience to sit, walk or interact with the works as appropriate - this is not intended to be a traditional concert experience!

Pieces to be performed include:

A Ripple on the World’s Pool by John Was and Aaron Watson

An audio-visual piece inspired by the ways in which York Minster, over many centuries, has been both the focus and transmission point for the key ideas and meanings that bind our culture. The piece will use the sound of the Minster bell(s) to initiate a series of audio-visual sequences commenting upon chains of cause and effect and the spread of influence and ideas in faith, culture and time.

'Cravasse' and 'Melt Water' by Craig Vear

12,000 years ago the geographic position of the Minster would have been underneath a giant glacier - and potentially within the next thousand years, the next 'Ice Age' will start. These two pieces fill the Nave with the sounds recorded from inside Antarctic glacier: in 'Cravasse', giant Icicle bells are used as source material, and in 'Melt Water the inter-moraine smelt water rivers are explored.

Minster Voices by Helen Weinstein and Jon Calver (Historyworks)

A cacophony of found sounds in the Quire aisles leads you via footstep tracks to the Zouche Chapel. In the Zouche Chapel a subdued sound montage interweaving the stories of those who look after the Minster building providing a place of contemplation where the audience can be immersed in story telling snippets woven in to a sound poem about how the Minster is looked after from the waking up of the building to its closing at night.

Sotto Voce by David Chapman

Octo: Sotto Voce is an 8-channel sound installation presenting an audio montage of whispered voices. The whispered prayer, the respectful tone or the irreverent aside are characteristic of the voice hushed to convey private conversations not intended for widespread dissemination. The piece will be installed in the Chapter House to make use of its exceptional acoustic properties and stunning architecture where 8 loudspeakers will be face out from the central octagonal floor motif.

I Hear Too Live starts at 8pm on 7 October. Tickets - priced £10 (£5 conc) - are available now from York Minster Box Office, Church House, Ogleforth, York, YO1 7JN.

Web: http://www.boxoffice.yorkminster.org/
Email: concerts@yorkminster.org
Tel: 01904 557200

I Hear Too Live Flier

2009-09-01T01:52:00.000-07:00

reports of first two workshop available on-line now

2009-07-01T07:16:00.000-07:00

Reports of our first two workshops can be found in the IPUP website. Please follow the links below.

Many thanks to Lucy Sackville and Helen Weinstein of IPUP for writing these

1st Workshop - 20 April National Railway Museum
2nd Workshop - 18 May, British Library Sound Archive

UPDATE Programme for 18th May Event

2009-05-15T04:36:00.000-07:00

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.

UPDATE

2009-05-12T02:49:00.001-07:00

Registration for the 18th May Workshop at the British Library is now closed. Many thanks for all your interest.

British Library - Further Information: Directions to Centre for Conservation

2009-05-06T09:09:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-03T14:37:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-03T03:55:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-30T15:44:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-20T10:26:00.000-07:00

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.