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isbn 978 90 8964 132 8
15,6 x 23,4 cm, 218 pages,
Genaaid gebrocheerd, 2009
English
€ 35,00

Art History, Music, Populair Science
Transformations in Art and Culture
K. Bijsterveld, J. van Dijck
Sound Souvenirs
Audio Technologies, Memory and Cultural Practices

In recent decades, the importance of sound for remembering the past and for creating a sense of belonging has been increasingly acknowledged. We keep “sound souvenirs” such as cassette tapes and long play albums in our attics because we want to be able to recreate the music and everyday sounds we once cherished. Artists and ordinary listeners deploy the newest digital audio technologies to recycle past sounds into present tunes. Sound and memory are inextricably intertwined, not just through the commercially exploited nostalgia on oldies radio stations, but through the exchange of valued songs by means of pristine recordings and cultural practices such as collecting, archiving and listing. This book explores several types of cultural practices involving the remembrance and restoration of past sounds. At the same time, it theorizes the cultural meaning of collecting, recycling, reciting, and remembering sound and music.

José van Dijck is professor of Media and Culture and currently Dean of Humanities at the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Karin Bijsterveld is professor in the Technology and Society Studies Department, Maastricht University, The Netherlands.