Introduction

We are pleased collaborate with Ethnologies to present this special issue, “Exhibiting Soundscapes,” comprising six articles that developed out of a research-creation and public outreach project funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), Exhibiting Sound (exhibitingsound.ca). Exhibiting Sound is an instance of applied ethnomusicology, “the approach guided by principles of social responsibility, which extends the usual academic goal of broadening and deepening knowledge and understanding toward solving concrete problems and toward working both inside and beyond typical academic contexts” (ICTM 2017). Rather than looking at music only as an object of study, we also engage it as a transformative agent (De Nora 2000) and a “social technology” (Frishkopf et al 2016, 2017), a tool for change and theoretical praxis (Diamond 2011:1). Through the multiple components of Exhibiting Sound, scholars, artists, activists, educators, radio producers, heritage and art professionals and others gathered together to consider (and create) ways in which mediated sound can be presented in a social space—real or virtual—for educational or aesthetic experience, as well as the socio-political conditions and ramifications of such presentations. The concept of exhibition, a curated display of objects for public viewing in a space bracketed from the ordinary flow of daily life, can be traced to the 18^th century (Ward 1996). But until the advent of sound reproduction technologies in the 20^th century, such exhibitions were largely confined to—or at least focused on—the visual. While most “exhibits” continue to be conceived in the visual domain, sonic components enabled by audio technology increasingly provide essential supplements (e.g. self-guided audio tours, interpretive audio stations, mobile digital media), and may become central sensory foci (including sound art, ethnographic soundscapes, or scientific exhibits). Folkorists have long been engaged in creations and critical analyses of exhibits and the processes of exhibition (e.g., Kirschenblatt-Gimblett 2006, 1998; Dewhurst 2014). The interdisciplinary group of researchers that came together for Exhibiting Sound engaged in vibrant discussions on critical questions relating to the exhibition of sound and music, more specifically. Inspired by the fine works of scholars who have published on the topic, we recognized a need to address critical questions on the exhibition of sound and music to the research contexts in which we are involved, in our local communities. We interrogated the role of ethnomusicology and its interlocutors in curatorial practices related to diverse musical practices. From archivists, technicians, producers and scholars whose daily efforts involve such applied work as the creation new exhibits, we learned about some of the newest ethnographic media and music curation tools, strategies for collaborative media production, creative models, and methods related to music creation, translating field research, archives, and digital curation. Some of our project team members also created and displayed new pieces in galleries, inspiring yet other questions about our experience of these sound and music exhibits. Our collaboration with professionals working outside of academic contexts took our international team of researchers through in-community activities where our knowledge was tested and applied. As an example: we met with the administrative and curatorial team of the Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton, who are in the midst of moving into a new museum building in the city center. We toured exhibits and spaces in the original building and then discussed potential ideas and issues related to the use of sound in the exhibits that will be installed in the new facility. Through such dialogue and collaboration with people from across sectors, Exhibiting Sound scholars have endeavored to play a positive role in the shaping of knowledge and practices related to representations in and of the exhibition of sound. The …