Mafra. Conference addresses the impact of sound on museums

Experts will discuss the impact of sound on the future of museums at the "Sound in Museums" conference, held from October 17 to 19 at the new National Music Museum, which will be open to the public until the end of the year in Mafra.

" Sound and music have the ability to move us, destabilize or console us , to restore balance or traumatize us. Sound arises from vibrations that pass through our bodies and, in this sense, also has the ability to enhance encounters with others, which is a fundamental aspect of the contemporary museum. Sound and music are, therefore, extremely powerful instruments of communication that are essential for us to consider when curating an exhibition," says Alcina Cortez, a researcher at Universidade Nova de Lisboa and founder of Sound in Museums, quoted in a press release.

The event's program will also include a performance by guitarist Luísa Amaro , on October 17, in which she will play on a Portuguese guitar by Joaquim Grácio from 1959, and another by Simão Costa , the following day, who will play on a Bechstein grand piano, from 1926.

Gascia Ouzonian, who studies the spatialization of sound and its evolution alongside various technological developments at the University of Oxford, is among the speakers.

The second edition of the event will also feature the participation of composer, musician and music producer Manuel Faria, who will address the spatialization of sound as a way to promote multisensory engagement for visitors in museums.

The program also includes a debate on the future of sound in museums, with researchers Holger Schulze, Gascia Ouzonian, Eric de Visscher and Gabriele Rossi Rognoni, moderated by Birgitte Folmann, professor at Sonic College in Denmark.

During the three days, concerts, debates and presentations are also planned on exhibition curation, in which sound plays a fundamental role in creating sound environments, on the process of constructing works of sound art, on the challenges of preserving sound media and on the acoustics of museum spaces, or even on emerging technologies for sound exhibition.

The National Music Museum, in the North Wing of the Mafra National Palace, houses one of the richest European collections of musical instruments from the 16th to the 20th centuries, from both classical and popular traditions, some of which are classified as national treasures.

The National Music Museum closed in Lisbon in October 2023 and is expected to reopen in its new facilities in Mafra by the end of the year, with a total area of ​​7,500 square meters and an exhibition space of 2,000 square meters.