Oxford Handbook of Museum Archaeology Chapter

Listening to Archaeology Museums

I have contributed a chapter to the Oxford Handbook of Museum Archaeology, edited by Alice Stevenson. Chapter 16, Listening to Archaeology Museums (p. 328–349), contains a brief history of sound and museums in general, with special focus on examples of the use and display of sound in archaeology museums. The chapter ends with a brief case study of the gallery of archaeology-related sounds in the Museum of Portable Sound, pointing towards a potential method for archaeology museums to make more use of sounds as objects to be displayed.

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Chapter Abstract

What does an archaeology museum sound like? Museum practitioners in general have, in the past decade, participated in a ‘multisensory turn’ within the humanities, bringing a new awareness to the potentialities for sound and soundscapes in exhibition strategies. This chapter explores the intersections between archaeology, sound, and museums, offering brief overviews of sound’s relationship with archaeology and museum practice while providing key examples of sound on display within archaeology museums. Finally, a case study of an artistic research project, the Museum of Portable Sound, explores a museological object-based approach to the curation of sounds within the archaeology museum, demonstrating how empathic listening between institution and visitor can contribute positively to visitor experience.

Keywords

archaeoacoustics, exhibition strategies, field recording, Museum of Portable Sound, sound, soundscape