Urban Soundscapes and Critical Citizenship
27th & 28th March, 2014, Limerick, Ireland

Call for papers (reminder)
In this interdisciplinary conference, we explore the intersection of
soundscapes and acoustic ecology studies (Murray Schafer 1977; Truax
1978) with urban, applied ethnomusicology’s focus on human subjects
(Hemetek and Reyes 2007; Jurková 2012) and with sociological
understandings of the cultural restructuring of urban space (Fainstein
and Campbell, 2011; LeGates 2011; Bridge and Watson 2010), through an
evocation of ‘critical citizenship’ (Nell et al, 2012).
We would particularly welcome individual papers (20 mins + 10 mins for
questions) or panel presentations (90 minutes) that address the
following questions:

– Where is the individual located in urban (soundscape) studies?
– How do the sounds of a city shape human experience?
– What role does sound play in the cultural restructuring of urban
space?
– Might soundscape projects be part of urban regeneration and
renewal and if so, in what ways?
– How can we create/capture urban soundscapes and what motivates
us to do so?
– How might the relationship between the city and the individual
be reframed sonically?
– What critical potentials are unleashed in applied soundscape
work?
– Are soundscapes mere reflections of acoustic and other
realities, or might they construct pathways for greater interaction
between cities and their people?
– What are contemporary methodological challenges in representing
urban soundscapes?
– What new technologies allow for the reimagining of applied
soundscapes production and manipulation?
– How can we productively bring together lessons from different
disciplines in relation to urban, societal, cultural and acoustic
ecologies in order to imagine a better, lived, urban experience?

Keynote speakers include:
Dr. Ursula Hemetek, University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna
(Applied/Urban Ethnomusicology)
Dr. Giacomo Bottà, University of Helsinki (Urban Studies)
Peter Cusack, CRiSAP/University of the Arts, London (Sound Arts
Practices)

Please send your individual abstract of no more than 250 words, or a
panel abstract of 350 words to LimerickSoundscapes@ul.ie

We also invite five-minute recording submissions for our dedicated
listening space at the event. Please send your sound file, associated
picture, and a brief description to tony.langlois@mic.ul.ie

The deadline for receipt of individual and panel abstracts is Nov 14th.
Notifications will be sent by Nov 28th.

Programme committee:
Dr. Aileen Dillane, Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, University
of Limerick.
Dr. Tony Langlois, Dept. of Media, Mary Immaculate College, University
of Limerick.
Dr. Martin Power, Dept. of Sociology, University of Limerick.
Dr. Eoin. Devereux, Dept. of Sociology, University of Limerick.
Dr. Mikael Fernström, Interaction Design Centre and Department of
Computer Science and Information Systems, University of Limerick.
Dr. Colin Quigley, Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, University of
Limerick.

LimerickSoundscapes is an interdisciplinary research cluster that
includes applied, urban, and media ethnomusicologists, sociologists,
acousticians, and soundscapes composers, and is based at the University
of Limerick and Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, Ireland. This
conference is funded by the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social
Sciences, and by The Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, University
of Limerick.