‘Sonic Dialogues: Intersections of Art and Sound in Public Spaces’

In the framework of the project KlangBildKlang

With a keynote lecture by artist and researcher Åsa Helena Stjern.

The spring school ‘Sonic Dialogues: Intersections of Art and Sound in Public Spaces’ unfolds as a three-day workshop investigating the interplay between sonic and visual artistic expressions in public space. Part of the university-wide project KlangBildKlang, it takes place on campus of the mdw, located in the urban heart of Vienna. Geared towards Ph.D. students and other early-stage researchers in the humanities, specifically those immersed in music, sound, and performance studies as well as artistic research, this international, interdisciplinary forum examines the profound influence of auditory and visual artistic expressions on public spaces and the resulting perceptual experiences, particularly in light of discourses around activism, gender, and social composition.

Participants will be able to present and discuss their research project in an interdisciplinary framework, receive feedback and take part in site visits. Experts in the respective fields at the mdw will provide impulse lectures and introduce theoretical and methodological frameworks as well as specific case studies. The spring school thus sets out to explore the transformative role of sound and visual art in shaping public environments and to provide participants with an intimate interdisciplinary experience that fosters new networks and perspectives.

We invite applications from Ph.D. students and other early-stage researchers from disciplines including (but not limited to) Artistic Research, Musicology, Dance and Performance Studies, Art History, Queer Theory, Cultural Studies, Music Theory, Indigenous Studies, Music Sociology, Critical Race Studies, Ethnomusicology, Popular Music Studies, Post-Colonial Studies, and Film and Media Studies. Presentation proposals should be connected to the topic of the participant’s thesis or current research project.

Attendance of the spring school is free of charge, and mdw will provide lunch and refreshments on-site. Complementary funding for travel and accommodation is available. The exact amount of funding will be decided on according to participants’ respective travel costs and availability of other funding. Application for funding is possible after the acceptance of your proposal with a short description of your situation and academic affiliation (or lack thereof) as well as the estimated expenditure. We are happy to organize childcare for researchers travelling with children of any age; we kindly ask to be informed of any such needs as soon as possible after acceptance. The workshop language is English.

Applications including a presentation abstract, a short statement of motivation, and a CV (max. 3 pages altogether in a single PDF file) must be sent via e-mail to springschool@mdw.ac.at. The deadline for applying is March 25, 2024.

Decisions on the acceptance of proposals will be announced in early April 2024.

Contact: Kathrin Heinrich, MA springschool@mdw.ac.at