LLC10: Sound and Media

Collaborative Goals

Our Working Group has three main goals. First, we will organize regular workshops, meetups, presentations, and scholarly discussions centered on new and ongoing projects in the field. Such online and in-person gatherings will create structured opportunities for creative exchange and critical feedback. Second, as an outgrowth of these regular activities, we will work to bridge disciplinary divides by connecting scholars with complementary interests who might otherwise not be in regular contact. Finally, we will use these activities and gatherings to actively develop and support members' individual and collaborative projects.

We have a multi-pronged approach to realize these collaborative goals. This cycle we hosted three in-person events. This included a guided discussion about how sound and media studies can respond to questions of ecological sustainability (Event 1, University of Rochester), a symposium on global catastrophe (Event 2, Syracuse University), and a workshop on emergent practices and pedagogies around music technologies (Event 3, Cornell University). At the end of this cycle (Spring 2026), our working group will hold a meeting to reflect on these activities and plan a three-day conference to be held at the Eastman School of Music in April 2027 (Event 4, University of Rochester). This conference will include three keynotes in addition to research presentations, roundtable panels, workshops, masterclasses, and concerts featuring students and faculty at Eastman, one of the world's premiere music schools. Members of our working group will be integral to the planning and execution of this conference, which will feature work by some of the most eminent researchers and practitioners in the areas of sound, culture, and media art. This signature event will support each of our stated goals above, allowing us to mark the turn toward mediation theories in music and sound studies by staging a dialogue with a broad range of scholars and artists.