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October 18, 2005

International Cross-Disciplinary Conference

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International Cross-Disciplinary Conference: Architecture | Music | Acoustics--Toronto, Canada; June 8-10, 2006; Abstracts Due: October 31, 2005 (300 words); email: amaconf[at]ryerson.ca.

In conjunction with the SoundaXis festival of music, acoustics, and architecture, Ryerson University Department of Architectural Science is pleased to announce an international conference dedicated to a study of the same themes.

Among the critical fault-lines within architectural practice and discourse is that which privileges sight, conceiving of architecture as primarily a visual art form. Despite the multi-sensorial, embodied nature of our being in space, architectural discourse has been largely silent where senses other than the visual are impacted. This conference proposes to move outside the visual paradigm to investigate the relationships between architecture, music, and acoustics. These intermeshed relationships have tended to one extreme or the other: either sound is understood by architects instrumentally, as an element to be controlled if not eliminated, or music is understood by architects as a metaphorical structure needing to be translated to visual terms before becoming available to architecture. Indeed, one of the few works published in the last half-century on the relationship of architecture and music from within the architectural community is Pamphlet Architecture 16, edited by Elizabeth Martin, which takes as its title Architecture as a Translation of Music.

This conference sees itself as an updating of Martin's work, while starting from the premise that Architecture, Music, and Acoustics have real relationships not requiring translation between visual and sonic terms, and not limited by the instrumental. The conference will involve both historical and critical studies of these relationships, focusing on the strategies and techniques used by architects in dealing with sound and with ideas borrowed from music. The conference will encourage an active mode of engagement with sound in architectural design.

Abstract Requirements

Those wishing to present papers at this conference should submit a brief abstract, of no more than 300 words, by October 31, 2005. Abstracts are to be submitted under one of the following session themes:

I. Acoustic Ecology:how can understanding the acoustic ecology of structured environments foster an auditive culture?
II. Situated Sonic Practices: how does the practice of sound installation art foster new understandings of both sound and place, as well as of the relationships between the two?

III. Spaces for Performance: how have recent developments in the acoustics of performance spaces affected our understanding of the relationships between sound and space?

IV. Intersections of Music and Architecture: how can the interweaving of architecture and music through creative collaborations result in an enrichment of both disciplines?

V. The Poetics of Closure: how can a consideration of sound affect the design of spaces and buildings not specifically intended for performance? Presentations of built work are encouraged in this session.

VI. Sound in Architectural Education: how can a consideration of sound be used to enrich the education of tomorrow's architects?

VII. The Architectural Representation of Sound: how can the predominately visual domain of architectural representation deal with sound? Presenters may approach any of the above topics historically, theoretically, or through the presentation of project work.

Presentations involving current built work are particularly encouraged. Final papers will be expected to have a maximum length suitable for a twenty-minute presentation (approx. 3000 words). Proposals will also be accepted for those wishing to present installations at this conference. Proposals for installation work should be submitted under one of the above session themes, and include a written description of 300 words or less, along with appropriate graphic material. Please note that the organizing committee cannot provide financial assistance for the mounting of installations.

Further information about formatting of abstracts will be posted shortly on the conference website, or by contacting the conference organizers at amaconf[at]ryerson.ca.

Posted by jo at October 18, 2005 05:27 PM

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