Towards Cultural Echology

Description

Session organized in the Finnish National Symposium for Music Scholars 2024 "Echoes and Reflections"

Cliffs, caves and ravines are not the most common research objects of musicology, but from a new materialist posthumanist perspective they have something to offer. Rock formations generate reflections that amplify, multiply and color sounds, thus actively participating the acoustic ecology of places. From prehistoric to modern times, people in Fennoscandia have used such echoing and reverberant places for musical and sonic activities to connect with the elements of the more-than-human world. In our newly launched project, we investigate these previously unexplored traditions and practices with a transdisciplinary approach, aiming to achieve a more holistic understanding of the relationship between people, the environment, music and acoustics, something that we call Cultural Echology.

The session consists of the following 10-minute presentations and a 30-minute panel discussion:

The Thunder God's Mountain as a Sacred Place in Contemporary World: Presentation gives perspectives on the Thunder God's Mountain site's acoustics in Kolovesi and the meanings that it holds in the contemporary world.

Modern Music in Natural Acoustic Spaces: Audience’s and artist’s concert experiences are investigated in two festival venues – a Norwegian cave and a Finnish ravine.

Sacred Sites in a Lab – Significance of Visual and Acoustic Environments for Human Sound Perception Production: We reconstruct in virtual reality what ancient sacred sites sound and look like. With the reconstruction we study experimentally how the environments affect human sound production, such as the pitch of singing or the rhythm of drumming. An interactive demonstration of our reconstructions is presented.

How to Talk to the Devil: Archival sources and acoustic measurements bring new information about sonic encounters at rocks and mountains in 19th-20th century Finland

The Power of the Lucky Stone and its Acoustic Environment: Study of archival and ethnographic materials recreates relationship of a 19th-century Sami reindeer herder with his personal sacred place. Recording of sacred yoik related to the stone and our acoustic tests add a sound dimension to this historical account.

Inspired by the Pulse of the Past - Reflections by the Hard Rocks of North Karelia: The presentation tells about preliminary observations about the activities of a loose community of amateur "acoustoarchaeologists" in Heinävesi.

Period	26 Mar 2024
Event type	Other
Location	JoensuuShow on map
Degree of Recognition	National